


What Makes a Parent

by godessoftrees



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-17
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2017-11-12 07:35:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 38,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/488337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godessoftrees/pseuds/godessoftrees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Kurt made a mistake with Brittany during “Laryngitis?” What if Kurt never met Blaine? How would his life be different?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1:  I Love You This Much

**A/N:** I got this idea in my head and I could not get it out. I hope you enjoy it! Italics indicates a flashback. I hope I got all of the car things right. I know next to nothing about them so most of my information came from my best friend and research. The timeline will jump around with days, weeks, and months in between scenes.

Thank you to Maya for helping hammer out the details and beta-ing this chapter!

**Warnings for this chapter:** None

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee.

Chapter One:  I Love You This Much

Monday March 24, 2014

“How are you doing, kiddo?” Burt Hummel asked when he heard the door to the garage open. He knew without looking that it would be his son, right on time for his shift.

“Exhausted,” Kurt said with a sigh as he dropped his bag in the corner behind Burt’s bag. “Aly had me up _all_ night.”

“Is everything okay? Is she sick?” Burt dropped his pen, looking up at his son.

“No, she had a nightmare and then she refused to sleep in her own bed. For a three-year-old, she sure can kick.” Kurt took the chair opposite his father, closing his eyes wearily.

“She gets it honestly,” Burt said with a laugh. “I’m going to get back to work.”

“I’ll be there in a minute, Dad,” Kurt told him. He waited until his dad had left the room before leaning his head back against the chair with a sigh. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe how his life had turned out, though he regretted nothing.

 

_ Tuesday August 3, 2010 _

_It was a nice humid sunny August day. School hadn’t started up again and Kurt was enjoying the remainder of summer vacation. Brittany had texted him earlier that day to meet her in the park and bring some ice cream. So, armed with an ice cream cone in each hand, he went to find her._

_She was sitting on a bench, arms in her lap, the sun shining on her blonde hair, illuminating the few hairs that escaped her ponytail like a halo. Her normal vacant smile seemed slightly more strained as she looked around for him. When she spotted him, she jumped up. “Dolphin!” she cried, running to him._

_Kurt laughed and held out one of the ice cream cones. “ Hey Brittany. I come bearing gifts. The strawberry-banana ice cream cone is yours. Mine is the frozen yogurt.”_

_“You remembered! Thank you!” she took the ice cream from him and sat on the bench, licking it and attracting the attention from many a man._

_They sat there in silence for a while, eating their ice cream, before Kurt ventured to ask, “So, uh, you asked me to come here? What for?”_

_“I asked you to come here?”_

_“Yes, Brittany, you did.”_

_There was another long pause as Brittany thought, ceasing to eat her ice cream to focus on why she had contacted Kurt._

_When the ice cream started to melt and drip down the cone, Kurt nudged her. “Your ice cream is melting. You should take care of that.”_

_“Oh, thank you.” She smiled at him and she worked on eating it for a while, before she grinned. “Now I know what I called you here for!”_

_“Really? So, why did you call me?”_

_Brittany turned to him. “I’m pregnant.”_

_An ice cream cone with frozen yogurt tumbled to the pavement, but Kurt paid it no heed. He just gaped at the blonde cheerleader. “What do you mean you’re_ pregnant _, Brittany? I thought you were on the pill.”_

_Nodding vigorously with a blank expression on her face, Brittany replied, “I am. I take Vitamin E every morning.”_

_Kurt bit his lip. “How did this happen?”_

_“I thought you knew. You were there too,” Brittany reminded him as she licked at her ice cream. She’d finished the strawberry, had gotten to the banana and was enjoying their flavors mixing._

_“Are you positive? Have you been to the doctor?” Kurt asked, his heart pounding hoping that she would answer negatively._

_“I went yesterday with Santana to make sure. I’m twelve weeks along already,” Brittany answered._

_Kurt raised a hand to his hair, to tug on a strand, only to stop midway. No matter how messed up the situation was, he didn’t need messed up hair to go with it. “Oh my God, this_ cannot _be happening. Have you told your parents? What am I supposed to tell my dad? I’m seventeen-years-old. I can’t be a father.” He bit his lip again, before resolutely swallowing past the lump in his throat and setting his jaw._

_“And I can’t be a mother,” Brittany commented, her lower lip protruding slightly. “I’d probably end up forgetting to water it. I forget to water plants all the time. Lord Tubbington always has to remind me to give him food and water. But babies can’t talk to remind me.”_

_Kurt’s voice trembled as he asked, “So what do we do?”_

_Brittany sniffled, looking at her remaining ice cream mournfully. “I don’t know.”_

“Dude, are you okay?” Noah Puckerman’s voice jarred Kurt from the memory.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Kurt told him.

The bell from the front door sounded. Kurt looked up. “That’ll be a customer.”

Kurt got to his feet and strode out of the office. He paused for a second when he saw a handsome man standing in the main room. He had a mess of curly black hair with gorgeous hazel eyes.

“Can I help you, sir?” Kurt asked as he crossed the room.

"I hope so. My car has been having difficulties starting lately and now the exhaust smoke is black,” the man explained. “I needed to be at work thirty minutes ago.”

“It sounds like a bad carburetor. Let me take a look,” Kurt said. He followed the man over to a black Mercedes-Benz. “Nice car.”

“It would be if it was running right,” the man replied with a smile.

“Can you pop the hood?”

“Sure.” The man turned away from him and opened the door to pop the hood. Kurt found his gaze being drawn to the other man’s backside, before he quickly focused them on the car instead, lifting the hood up and looking inside. He couldn’t let himself be distracted. The man was a customer.

Kurt examined the car with a frown. He pulled his head out from under the hood and turned to the man. “It’s your carburetor all right.”

“How fast can you replace it?” the man asked.

Kurt smiled. “Not very. It’ll take at least an hour and I can’t even work you in until tomorrow at the earliest.”

“ _Tomorrow?_ How am I supposed to get to work?” The man asked frantically, his voice elevated. Kurt felt bad for him.

“What do you do?” Kurt found himself asking.

“I have my own restaurant. Look, is there _any way_ you could get it fixed today?” the man pleaded.

Kurt sighed, biting his lip. “I’m not supposed to do this, but since we happen to have the part in, I might be able to bend the rules. One of our customers is out of town anyway so their car can wait until tomorrow. I can have yours fixed by noon but it will cost extra.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you _so_ much!” the man exclaimed. “Let me make it up to you. Can I take you out to dinner?”

Kurt hesitated. Here he was with a beautiful man asking him out, knowing absolutely nothing about him. His first thought went to Aly, who would always be his first priority. He hadn’t even attempted dating since she had been born. He was afraid she would get close to someone and then they’d leave. He didn’t want to complicate her life any more than it already was with a young, gay, single father.

The man could read the hesitance on his face. He bit his lip and avoided Kurt’s eyes. “If you don’t want to I _completely_ understand.”

“He’d love to,” Burt interrupted as he wandered over to the pair.

Kurt flushed, spinning around to face his father. He mouthed, ‘What are you doing?’

“What’s your name?” Burt asked, ignoring his son.

“Blaine Anderson, sir.” Blaine extended his hand for Burt to shake.

“Burt Hummel. This is my son, Kurt. He’d be more than happy to go to dinner with you.” Burt clapped Kurt on the back.

“Dad, can I _speak_ with you for a moment?” Kurt asked, his eyes flashing angrily. Not waiting for an answer, he pulled Burt aside. Kurt hissed, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“You never go out, Kurt. You’ve never been on a date, not one that counted. You deserve to have some fun,” Burt answered simply.

Kurt glared at his father. “What about Aly?”

Burt shrugged nonchalantly. “Carole can watch her.”

Kurt clenched his hands. “He’s young. He won’t understand.”

Burt rolled his eyes. “You don’t know that until you try. Come on, Kurt. You deserve some happiness in your life.”

“I have plenty of happiness,” Kurt answered instantly, his mind flying to his beautiful daughter.

Burt smiled, knowing Kurt was thinking of Aly. He clasped his son’s shoulder. “I know you do. But everyone could always use a little bit more.”

Kurt sighed heavily. “Fine. You win. This won’t end well, though, mark my words.”

Burt raised an eyebrow. “Not if you don’t try, it won’t. Just give the guy a fair chance.” He pushed him back towards Blaine, who was still waiting for an answer.

“How’s tonight around seven?” Blaine asked when Kurt returned.

“Sounds great. I’ll give you my address.” Kurt grabbed one of the business cards for ‘Hummel Tires and Lube’ to write his home address on the back. He handed it to Blaine, who accepted it with a gracious smile. Kurt watched him sit down in one of the waiting chairs and felt his eyes on him the entire time he was working on the Mercedes.

**KAB**

“I can’t believe I let Dad talk me into this,” Kurt moaned as he stood in front of his closet. “What am I supposed to wear?”  He pulled out a dress shirt, examined it for a few moments, before putting it back in. He passed by a few others, only to reject them as well. He sighed. This was getting him nowhere.

“Kurt, you have two closets filled with clothes. You _cannot_ tell me you have nothing to wear,” Carole called from the kitchen.

“I don’t,” Kurt answered as he left his bedroom and entered the kitchen of his small apartment. He smiled when he saw Aly feeding herself Cheerios. “I should just stay home. Aly needs me.”

“Aly will be just fine with Mimi. Won’t you, Aly?” Carole asked with a smile.

“Yep,” Aly chimed.

Kurt flopped down in one of the wooden chairs next to Aly. “Don’t you want Daddy to stay home with you, Aly Cat?”

“No, I want Mimi.” Aly didn’t look up from her bowl of cereal.

Kurt’s face fell and, putting his arms on the table, let his forehead rest on them.

“She’s only three, Kurt. Don’t let it bother you.” Carole reached across the table to squeeze Kurt’s hand.

“But what if something happens?” Kurt asked, lifting his head and a hand to stroke his daughter’s blonde hair.

“Nothing is going to happen, Kurt. I _have_ raised a child before, you know. I think I can handle a few hours of babysitting,” Carole reminded him. “Come on, let’s go pick out something for you to wear.”

“I’m sorry,” Kurt said as he followed her into his bedroom. “I know you can handle it. It’s just. . .” he paused, “I just hate being away from her, especially when it’s completely unnecessary.”

“I know you do, but your dad is right. You deserve to have some fun,” Carole said as she pulled clothing options out of his closet.

“I have fun,” Kurt protested as he took a shirt from Carole, returning it to his closet. He picked a different one and laid it out on his bed with a pair of skinny jeans.

“I mean fun without a three-year-old involved. I’ll leave so you can change,” Carole said as she left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

Kurt dressed quickly, knowing Blaine could be there to pick him up at any time. He wanted to be outside waiting so there wouldn’t be any awkward questions. He had decided he would tell him about Aly when he was ready. As long as Blaine didn’t know about Aly, he knew she was protected. There was no risk of her getting too attached to someone who would just abandon them both, like her mother did. Brittany had been the first person to abandon Aly and Kurt did not want to add any names to that list. He refused to.

Just as he walked out of his bedroom, Kurt heard the buzzer announcing he had a visitor. Sighing reluctantly, he turned to his daughter. He picked her up, holding her close.

“Daddy’s going to miss you, princess,” Kurt told her, burying his head in her blonde hair. “I love you.”

“How much?” Aly giggled as she asked.

Kurt smiled, setting her on the ground so he could spread his arms wide. “ _This_ much!”

“I love _you_ this much!” Aly spread her own arms as far as they would go.

“That’s an awful lot, Aly Cat,” Kurt said as he fought back his tears. He hated leaving her. Trying to date was stupid. He’d rather stay home with his daughter.

The buzzer sounded again, reminding him that it was too late to back out now. Blaine was waiting for him. Kurt knelt down so he was at Aly’s level.

“Can I have a kiss?” he asked.

“Fishy kiss,” Aly told him.

“Okay, a fishy kiss.” Kurt sucked his cheeks in so his lips looked like a fish’s as Aly did the same. He kissed his daughter, smiling when he saw the happiness in her blue-green eyes. “Daddy will be home in a few hours.”

“Okay.” Aly ran off to play with her stuffed animals.

Kurt sighed.

“We’ll be fine. If anything happens I will call you,” Carole told him as she hugged him quickly.

“I thought you said nothing would happen?” Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing _will_ happen,” Carole assured him. “Now go. Don’t keep your date waiting any longer.”

“Call me if _anything_ happens,” Kurt told her.

“I will. I promise.” Carole ushered Kurt out of the door before he could stall any further.

Sighing, Kurt walked down the stairs and out the door of the apartment building. Blaine’s finger was raised to press the buzzer again when Kurt walked out. Blaine smiled at the sight of him.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” Kurt said as he awkwardly followed Blaine to his car. True to his word, Kurt had replaced Blaine’s carburetor before noon that day and the car was as good as new.

“It’s all right. I wasn’t waiting long,” Blaine replied. He opened the passenger side door for Kurt, who blushed. Kurt slid into the seat and Blaine closed the door behind him before hurrying to the driver’s side.

The short drive to Breadstix was filled with awkward silence. Kurt didn’t know what to say. Blaine mistook this for shyness and didn’t press him for conversation until after they were seated and the waitress had brought them their drinks.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Blaine said, taking a sip of his water.

“There’s not much to tell,” Kurt answered, as he fiddled with the straw in his glass.  He wasn’t exactly lying because, since he wasn’t going to tell Blaine about Aly, there wasn’t much else to talk about. His little girl was his entire world.

“You work for your father?” Blaine asked.

“Yes,” Kurt confirmed.

“Did you always want to take over the family business?” Blaine questioned.

Kurt stiffened. Ten minutes into the date and they were already heading into dangerous territory. He had never wanted to be a mechanic. Once upon a time, he had had big dreams. New York. Broadway. Those dreams died with Aly’s birth, not that he regretted it. The second he had heard his daughter’s heartbeat he had known he couldn’t give her up.

_ Tuesday August 31, 2010 _

_“I understand you have agreed upon adoption?” Dr. Adams asked._

_“Yes,” Kurt said with a resolute nod. “We’re both too young to handle the responsibility of having a child.”_

_“Adoption is an amazing option,” Dr. Adams said._

_“We thought so too. Do I get to gift wrap the baby before I give her to her parents?” Brittany asked._

_Dr. Adams stared blankly at the girl. Kurt shook his head, willing her not to ask any questions. Mercifully, she didn’t._

_“This is going to be a bit cold,” she told Brittany as she squirted the ultrasound gel on her belly. She brought the transducer probe to Brittany’s stomach, moving it around until she found the baby. “I know you’re placing the baby for adoption but do you want to know the sex?”_

_“It’s up to Brittany,” Kurt said instantly. He knew in the end the sex wouldn’t matter because the baby wasn’t his to keep._

_“Sure,” Brittany answered brightly._

_Dr. Adams paused and pointed at the screen. “Sixteen weeks is still a_ little _early to tell so I’m not one hundred percent positive, but it looks like you’re having a girl.”_

_“Sweet!” Brittany said enthusiastically._

_Kurt shook his head with a smile. Somehow, Brittany managed to liven up the entire situation._

_“Now let me check the heartbeat and then we will be done,” Dr. Adams clicked a button on the ultrasound machine. The sound of the baby’s heartbeat filled the small room._

_“Is that it?” Kurt asked in shock. “Is that her heartbeat?”_

_“That’s it. She seems to be perfectly healthy,” Dr. Adams said as she put the transducer probe down. She wiped Brittany’s stomach clean before helping the girl sit up._

_“Are you all right, Kurt?” Brittany asked, noticing how pale the boy had gone._

_Kurt’s hand trembled. “I can’t do this,” he said in a whisper._

_“You can’t do what?” Dr. Adams asked gently._

_“Give her up. I can’t.” Kurt ignored the tears that rolled down his cheeks. His eyes were on the still shot of his daughter._

_“Are you saying you want to keep the baby?” Dr. Adams questioned. She hadn’t expected this turn of events._

_“Yes. Yes, I am,” Kurt shocked himself with how sure he sounded._

_“It’s not going to be easy,” Dr. Adams told him._

_Kurt closed his eyes as he nodded. “I know. But I’ll make it work. She’s_ my _daughter. I might never have another chance like this. She’s… she’s_ part _of me.”_

“Is everything okay?” Blaine asked, jogging Kurt from his memory.

“I’m sorry. Yes, everything’s fine. In answer to your question, no it was never my dream to work at my father’s garage,” Kurt said truthfully.

“So what changed?”

“Everything.”

Kurt’s phone interrupted them before Blaine could ask any more questions. He pulled it out of his pocket. When he saw Carole’s number his heart stopped.

“I’ve got to take this,” Kurt said to Blaine before he answered the call. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Aly had a nightmare. She won’t stop crying. I tried to get her back to sleep but she keeps calling for you,” Carole said in a rush. He could hear his daughter crying in the background and it broke his heart.

“I’m leaving now. Just talk to her and stroke her hair. It helps calm her down,” Kurt said.

“I’m sorry I ruined your date,” Carole told him.

“Don’t be. She comes first. She _always_ comes first. You know that. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Kurt hung up without another word. He turned to Blaine, who was clearly confused by Kurt’s half of the phone conversation. “I’m sorry but I have to go.”

“Is everything okay?” Blaine asked, getting to his feet, eyebrows drawn together.

“It will be. I just have to go. I’m sorry. You should stay though, eat some dinner. I’ll call a cab,” Kurt said as he slung his messenger bag over his shoulder.

“Are you sure?” Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded. “I’m positive. I’ll call you later.”

Kurt was running out of the restaurant before Blaine could stop him. He called a taxi and jumped into it the instant it appeared. After what seemed like ages, he was home. He flew up the stairs and into his apartment, hurrying to Aly’s bedroom.

“It’s okay, princess. Daddy’s here.” Kurt pulled her into his arms, holding her close to his chest. He stroked her hair slowly, continuing to whisper to her until she calmed down. When she finally relaxed against him he asked, “Was it the clown again?”

“Yes,” Aly said with a whimper.

“It’s okay now, honey. Daddy won’t let anything happen to you.” Kurt kissed the top of her head.

“Can I seep with you?” Aly asked, clearly still frightened by the nightmare.

“Of course you can, princess. Come on, Daddy will carry you.” Kurt stood up, lifting her into his arms. Aly wrapped her legs around him, holding on tight. “Thank you for watching her, Carole. I can take it from here.”

“Are you sure? I can stay if you’d like,” Carole offered.

“We’ll be all right. But thank you. She’ll be fine once I lay down with her.” Kurt followed Carole to the door.

“All right, call us if you need anything,” Carole said as she opened the door to leave.

“I will. I promise. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Carole kissed his cheek and Aly’s forehead before she left.

With a sigh, Kurt carried his daughter into his bedroom. He lay down beside her, smiling when she snuggled up to him. That just went to show he was right. Dating was a horrible idea.

**KAB**

Tuesday April 8, 2014

“How about we try that new Italian place for dinner? Daddy’s had a long day and doesn’t feel like cooking.” Kurt asked Aly as he carried her out of preschool.

“Can I have sghetti?” Aly asked excitedly.

"Of course you can,” Kurt answered as he strapped her into her car seat.

“Okay.” Aly nodded.

“So glad you approve,” Kurt chuckled. He climbed into the car and drove towards Caravelli’s. The restaurant had been opened for almost a year now but Kurt had yet to try it out since he was always so busy with Aly.

They entered. While waiting to be seated, Kurt took the chance to look around. It was tastefully decorated, with lots of dark brown wooden furniture. The tablecloths were layered with a brick-red paper one rotated at a forty-five degree angle to a beige fabric one underneath.  The cushions on the chairs were also brick-red. The curtains were beige and the walls were a soft cream. The only thing he’d change would be the fluorescent lamps overhead. They cast a more bluish light than he thought fitting. A more yellowish light would fit better, in his mind.

A waiter escorted them to two vacant places, after asking if Aly needed a booster seat or not. Kurt declined the offer, knowing Aly would refuse to use it away from home. Once they were seated, Kurt listened to Aly chatter about her day at preschool while he looked over the menu. He had finally decided on the lasagna when he heard a voice.

“Kurt?”

Kurt looked up, shocked when he saw the man standing in front of him. “Blaine.”

Kurt had almost forgotten about Blaine. _Almost_. At least he had tried to. He had never called the other man, though he had said he would. After their disastrous first date, which ended thirty minutes in, he had thought it best to forget that it had ever happened. And now, here he was:  Gorgeous Blaine Anderson, who clearly had not forgotten about him.

His eyes immediately flew to Aly, who was looking at Blaine wide-eyed, her head cocked to the side. He wished he could disappear with her on the spot, to protect her from whatever was about to happen. His eyes returned to Blaine when he spoke.

“How have you been?” Blaine asked casually.

“Fine. You?” Kurt asked, hoping Blaine would walk away without noticing Aly. But of course a three-year-olds mind is often too curious for their own good.

“Hi!” Aly said brightly to Blaine.

“Oh,” Blaine said softly as he noticed Aly sitting beside Kurt. “Is this your niece?”

Kurt’s mouth went dry. His tongue snuck out to wet his lips as he looked again from Aly to Blaine. He swallowed.

Unhappy that her father wasn’t explaining things, Aly asked, “Who’s that, Daddy?”

Kurt’s eyes grew wide as Blaine gaped at the little girl. Every instinct screamed at Kurt to snatch her up and get as far away from everyone as he could. But Aly was not happy with being ignored.

“Daddy?” she asked expectantly, as she crossed her arms and frowned at him.

Sighing, Kurt knew there was no way out of this. He turned to Blaine, biting his lip. He drew in a deep breath before he said, “Blaine, I’d like you to meet my daughter. Aly, this is Daddy’s friend Blaine.”

“Hi, Aly,” Blaine said softly. He sank down into the seat opposite Kurt, even though Kurt was wishing he would move on and forget this had ever happened.

An uncomfortable silence settled. Aly took no notice to this, though, and demanded, “Daddy, I want sghetti.” Aly quickly lost interest in the other man. She looked up at Kurt with her big cerulean eyes and he couldn’t help but smile.

“I know, Aly Cat. We’ll get you spaghetti.” Kurt ran a hand through her hair, forgetting that Blaine was there until he cleared his throat.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a daughter?” Blaine asked.

"I didn’t think you’d understand. I didn’t want you to find out about her and leave,” Kurt admitted, not taking his eyes off of his daughter.

An awkward silence followed.

Finally, Blaine spoke again, “How old are you, Aly?”

Aly’s eyes snapped to Blaine’s face. She turned to look back at Kurt who nodded encouragingly.

“Go on, princess. Tell him how old you are,” Kurt told her.

“Three,” Aly said proudly.

“Wow, you’re a big girl, aren’t you?” Blaine asked with a small smile.

Aly nodded, beaming from ear to ear.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her,” Kurt said, smiling when Aly cuddled into his side. “I have to protect her. I can’t let her get close to someone and then watch them abandon us. I can’t put her through that. I’m her father. It’s my job to protect her.”

“I get that,” Blaine said with a nod.

“Aren’t you going to ask how I got into this situation? I mean, I’m a twenty-year-old gay man with a three-year-old daughter.” Kurt was surprised that Blaine hadn’t already asked.

“If you wanted me to know you’d tell me,” Blaine answered with a shrug and raised eyebrows.

"I’m not ashamed of her,” Kurt said determinedly, locking eyes with him.

“I never thought you were.” Blaine offered him a lopsided smile.

“I made a mistake in high school. I tried to be someone I wasn’t so my dad wouldn’t be harassed about having a gay son. I wanted him to be proud of me, the perfect son. So I decided to date this cheerleader, Brittany, to make things easier on him. It was the first time I’d ever so much as kissed anybody . . . and I slept with her. We were both so young. Brittany decided she couldn’t be a mother yet so I decided to raise Aly on my own,” Kurt explained.

“That must’ve been hard,” Blaine commented his smile relaxing somewhat until it was just a hint, watching Aly color the children’s’ menu.

“It was, but I don’t regret one second of it. She’s my everything.” Kurt looked back at his daughter with a smile and ruffled her hair again.

“Is that why you ran out on our date? Your babysitter called?” Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded. “My stepmother was watching her. She had a nightmare and Carole couldn’t get her to calm down so I left. I’m sorry I didn’t give you an explanation.”

“It’s okay. I understand now. She takes precedent.”

Silence fell over them again. Kurt felt awkward as he reached up to flick a strand of hair back into position, but Blaine seemed to be accepting of his situation so he didn’t try to leave. Instead he asked, “So, are you here alone?”

Blaine laughed. “I’m not here to eat.”

Kurt blinked. “You’re not?”

“No. Remember I said I owned a restaurant, well here you are.” Blaine gestured around the building.

Kurt blinked again, his mouth dropping slightly. “You’re kidding!”

“I’m not. If we had talked some more you would have found that out.” Blaine grinned and winked at him.

“I’m sorry I never called you. I was just afraid. I’ve never dated anyone other than Aly’s mother and she didn’t count. Especially since she ended up dating a girl after me.” Kurt smiled at the memory of Brittany’s coming out as bisexual.

“Really? I can’t believe you’ve never dated anyone.” Blaine raised an eyebrow in surprise, his smile disappearing for the first time.

Kurt snorted. “And who would I date? I _was_ the only out gay kid at my high school, and after Aly was born there was no time to meet anyone. I didn’t want to leave her to try to anyway,” he explained.

“And what about now?” Blaine asked coyly.

“What _about_ now?” Kurt questioned.

Blaine smiled. “Would you like to try dating now?”

Kurt blushed. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Come on, Kurt. Give me a chance,” Blaine pleaded, giving Kurt big puppy dog eyes.

“Stop that,” Kurt said with a wry smile.

“Stop what?” Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The puppy dog look,” Kurt answered. “I get it enough from Aly and no offense but hers is cuter.”

Blaine laughed. “If you’d give me the chance, I’d really like to get to know you . . . and Aly.”

“ _No_ ,” Kurt said abruptly, shaking his head. “I can’t have her getting too attached to someone-”

“For them to leave, yes I know. And I respect that. But that doesn’t mean that you and I can’t still get to know each other.” Blaine reached across the table to take Kurt’s hand in his. “Please, give me a chance? We can take things as slow as you want.”

Kurt sighed, still unsure. “You won’t change your mind?”

“I’m not going anywhere, Kurt,” Blaine assured him.

Kurt thought for a minute before he finally answered. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Blaine said with a smile.

“We can go on another date,” Kurt told him.

“Excellent. How’s tomorrow at seven?”

“I’ll have to check to make sure someone can watch Aly but that should be fine.”

“Great. I will see you then.” Blaine stood up. He turned to walk away but spun back around. “And for the record, I wouldn’t have run if you had told me that first night.” He winked and turned away again.

Kurt‘s mouth dropped slightly as he watched Blaine disappear into the kitchen. Not only had Blaine found out about Aly, but he still wanted to get to know him. A slight smile colored his lips. Maybe this dating thing wasn’t so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2:  This Dating Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For now, this story will be posted on Fridays. However, classes are just starting for me so if my Fridays get hectic I will have to move updates to Saturday or Sunday. If this happens, I will let you know.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: None
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Two:  This Dating Thing

Wednesday April 9, 2014

“Thanks again for doing this, Carole,” Kurt said as he walked out of his bedroom, down the hall and into the kitchen. He was grateful that Carole was so willing to watch Aly so he could go out for a few hours. She had even come over early so Kurt had plenty of time to choose an outfit. He had finally settled on a white button-down shirt with a gray vest and his best skinny jeans.

“Nonsense, I love watching my granddaughter,” Carole said with a smile as set a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of Aly. Aly immediately picked up her fork and began to eat.

The buzzer sounded. This time, instead of running out to meet Blaine, Kurt pressed the button so he could come up to the apartment. A knock sounded at the door a few seconds later and Kurt hurried to open the door.

“Hi, are you ready?” Blaine asked with a smile as the door swung open. He was wearing a black, collared shirt, red pants, and a red striped bowtie. His hair was as messy as ever, but Kurt definitely did not mind.

“Almost. Just give me a second,” Kurt answered. He pulled a surprised Blaine into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

The apartment door opened into the living room. The walls were painted white and the carpet was beige. A white couch was pushed against the far wall, an end table beside it with a floor lamp behind the table. To the right of the end table was a white love seat. In front of the love seat was an oak coffee table. To the right of the couch was a recliner that was pushed into the corner. Across from the recliner was a TV which faced the living room diagonally.

Kurt walked to the entrance of the kitchen, Blaine following behind him. Blaine looked around the kitchen. To the right there was a square oak table that sat six. Kurt’s daughter, Aly, was sitting at the table. Beside Aly was a middle aged woman with short brown hair. Behind the table was a pair of white slotted folding doors. To the left were the refrigerator, stove, oven, and other appliances, all in white.

“Aly Cat, Daddy’s going now,” Kurt told his daughter.

Aly jumped out of her pink and white booster seat and ran over to Kurt, who knelt down so she could jump into his arms. He stood up, balancing Aly on one hip.

“Carole, this is Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is my stepmother Carole Hummel,” Kurt introduced the two.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Carole gushed, rushing over to envelope Blaine in a hug.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Hummel,” Blaine said with a charming smile.

“Please, call me Carole.”

“Carole it is then.”

“Do you hab to go?” Aly asked sadly, bored with watching the exchange between her grandmother and her father’s date.

“I do, but you’ll have fun with Mimi,” Kurt told her. He set her back on the ground, kneeling down on her level. Kurt smoothed out her cornflower blue sundress. “I love you.”

“How mush?” Aly asked with a smile.

“ _This_ much!” Kurt spread his arms wide.

“I wuv you _tis_ mush!” Aly threw out her arms as far as they would go.

“ _That_ much? That’s a lot.” Kurt pulled her back into his arms, standing up. “Can I have a kiss?”

Aly nodded. Kurt kissed her quickly before handing her off to Carole. Aly went to Carole willingly but her eyes were only for her father. She laid her head on Carole’s shoulder, continuing to watch her father.

“I love you. Be good for Mimi,” Kurt told her.

“Okay,” Aly said with a slight pout. She didn’t want her father to leave.

“’Bye, Carole. Call me if anything happens,” Kurt said, embracing her quickly.

“I will. You boys have fun,” Carole said, pressing a kiss to Kurt’s cheek.

“Are you ready?” Kurt asked. He turned to Blaine, who had been watching the entire exchange between Kurt and his daughter with a smile. It was clear that to Kurt everything came second to Aly’s happiness and wellbeing.

“Whenever you are,” Blaine answered, following Kurt to the door. He waved goodbye to Carole and Aly.

Kurt closed the door after them, locking it before they started down the stairs. As they walked out into the cool April air, Blaine reached over and grabbed Kurt’s hand, linking their fingers together. Kurt bit his lip to hide a smile.

“I’m sorry if that was awkward for you. I hadn’t said goodbye to her yet and I didn’t want to make you wait downstairs,” Kurt said as they crossed the parking lot.

“It wasn’t awkward. Aly’s adorable,” Blaine assured him, squeezing his hand lightly.

“Thank you,” Kurt said with a fond smile.

“She looks like you,” Blaine told him as he opened up the car door for Kurt, causing Kurt to blush.

Kurt slid into the seat, waiting until Blaine had joined him in the car before he spoke. “She has her mother’s hair.”

“But your eyes and nose,” Blaine pointed out as he backed out of the parking space. “So Carole is your stepmother?”

“She is.” Kurt nodded. “My mom died when I was eight.”

“I’m so sorry,” Blaine said, pulling out onto the road.

“It was a long time ago,” Kurt answered. “I still miss her. Honestly, I think Aly looks more like her than anyone else. It’s like Aly is keeping her memory alive.”

“Did you name Aly after her?” Blaine asked, glancing at Kurt before moving his eyes back to the road.

“Her middle name is Elizabeth after my mom,” Kurt answered. He had a sad smile on his face. “Though, when I was fourteen I legally had my middle name changed to Elizabeth in her honor.”

“That’s sweet. I’m sorry if I’m bringing up bad memories.” Blaine reached across the console to take Kurt’s hand in his again.

“You’re not,” Kurt assured him with a shake of his head.

“What is Aly short for?” Blaine asked curiously as he stopped for a red light.

Kurt blushed, ducking his head as he answered, “Alexandra, after the late Alexander McQueen.”

Blaine chuckled as he slowly accelerated. “Well, Alexandra Elizabeth is a beautiful name.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said with a small smile. They sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the car ride. Before long, they were being seated in the restaurant. After the waitress had taken their drink orders, Kurt turned to Blaine. “You have me at an unfair advantage.”

“How so?” Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know all about me but I know nothing about you.”

"I’d hardly say I know _all_ about you,” Blaine answered.

“There’s really not much to know about me,” Kurt replied, staring at his hands.

“Except you have a daughter.” Blaine tilted his head slightly.

“Yes, but that’s really it. Aly is my entire life.” Kurt looked up at Blaine as he spoke. His face softened as he thought of his daughter.

The waitress brought their waters, interrupting the conversation. Once she left, Blaine smiled. He took a quick sip of his water before speaking.

“So what do you want to know?” Blaine asked, lacing his fingers together and setting them on the table.

“Did you grow up in Lima?” Kurt asked, spinning the straw in his water glass between two fingers.

“No, I was born and raised in Westerville. I only moved to Lima about a year and a half ago,” Blaine said as he set his glass down.

“And your parents. . .”

“Are totally different people,” Blaine finished his sentence. “When I first came out my mom wasn’t accepting, but after I ended up in the hospital from bullying she did a complete one-eighty. She realized that I was gay, and nothing was ever going to change that. I had been born gay and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Ever since, all she’s wanted is for me to be happy. My dad’s a different story. He’s always trying to turn me into someone I’m not.”

Kurt winced. That was how he had ended up a teenage father. Of course, no one had _tried_ to turn him into someone else. Kurt had made that decision on his own.

“Oh my god, I’m _so_ sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Blaine apologized immediately.

“No, it’s okay. My family didn’t push me into pretending to be straight. I did. That was my choice. My dad was spending a lot of time with my stepbrother and I was jealous. I was convinced he saw Finn as the perfect son. I made a mistake, but I got the most wonderful gift out of it. So I don’t regret it. Not for one second,” Kurt said with a small smile. He paused for a second before asking, “You said you ended up in the hospital from bullying. May I ask what happened?”

“You may,” Blaine answered with a slow nod. “Some jocks at my first high school decided they didn’t like that I was gay. They threw me down a flight of stairs. When I got to the bottom of the first they pushed me down the second. I broke my wrist and several ribs.”

Kurt gasped. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Blaine replied. “That’s all in the past. I’m a stronger person today because I went through that. Now, why don’t we talk about something happier?”

They spent the rest of the date getting to know each other. They had a lot in common. They were both in their high school’s glee club; they loved Broadway musicals. They both loved to read and shared a love for the _Harry Potter_ series. Kurt was sad the date was over when Blaine walked him up to his door, but he couldn’t wait to get back to Aly.

“I had fun tonight,” Blaine said, leaning against the wall by Kurt’s door.

“I did too,” Kurt said with a smile.

“So when do I get to see you again?” Blaine asked, hoping he wasn’t mistaken and Kurt really did want to see him again. He tried not to sound too hopeful but failed.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ll have to see when someone can watch Aly for me. I don’t want to leave her too often though,” Kurt said hesitantly. It still killed him every day he dropped her off at daycare or preschool, and he’d been doing that for two years.

“I understand. Maybe we can meet for lunch one day while she’s at preschool,” Blaine suggested. He knew Aly always came first but he would leap at any chance to spend more time with Kurt.

“Are you sure you’re real?” Kurt laughed.

“I don’t know. Maybe this will convince you,” Blaine said before he leaned in to brush his lips against Kurt’s. Kurt’s breath hitched. Of course he had been kissed before, but again, Brittany didn’t count.

When Blaine pulled back, Kurt was disappointed. They looked at each other for a second before Blaine moved one hand to cup Kurt’s cheek, kissing him again. He was surprised when he felt Blaine’s tongue snake across his bottom lip, but he opened his mouth eagerly. Their tongues tangled together as the passion rose. Kurt finally pulled away, breathing heavily.

“I should go,” he whispered.

Blaine nodded. “Do you want to meet for lunch on Friday?”

“That sounds perfect,” Kurt said with a smile.

“Good.” Blaine brushed his lips against Kurt’s cheek. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Kurt answered. He watched Blaine walk back down the stairs with a smile on his face. Maybe this dating thing wasn’t so bad after all.

**KAB**

Tuesday May 13, 2014

A month passed by quickly. Kurt met Blaine for lunch twice a week, though these lunch periods went by much too fast for both men. They had only had one other real date, two weeks after their second when Carole had offered to babysit Aly again. Kurt had been reluctant at first but Carole really wanted to spend some time with Aly so he relented in the end.

Kurt sighed unhappily as he ate the rest of his sandwich. He knew they had only been together for a month, but Kurt found himself wishing Blaine was there. They were meeting tomorrow for lunch, but Kurt missed his company. He was forced to eat his lunch alone today while Puck worked on a car and his father went to the hospital to have lunch with Carole. Kurt knew he would have been more than welcome to join his father and stepmother, but he didn’t want to take away from their private time. He had taken up too much of that when he became a father at the tender age of seventeen.

“Yo, Kurt!” Puck’s voice called out from the garage. Kurt rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer when Puck knew exactly where he was. He leaned back in the chair, balancing on two chair legs. Puck appeared in the doorway with someone following behind him, though Kurt couldn’t see who. “Your boy toy is here!”

“Blaine!” Kurt squeaked when Blaine stepped out from behind Puck. He was so shocked, Kurt forgot to balance the chair and fell over backwards. His head hit the ground with a crack and he moaned in pain.

"Kurt!” Blaine hurried around the desk to kneel next to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kurt answered, trying awkwardly to disentangle himself from the chair.

Blaine extended his hand, smiling with Kurt took it. He pulled Kurt up, holding him against his chest for a moment before he let go.

“That was hilarious!” Puck said in between peals of laughter. Kurt glared at him. Puck swallowed hard and made a hasty exit.

“That wasn’t at all embarrassing,” Kurt said with a blush, straightening his coveralls.

Blaine chuckled, pressing his lips to Kurt’s cheek. “Don’t be embarrassed.”

“Too late,” Kurt said as he brushed himself off. “What are you doing here? Our lunch date isn’t until tomorrow.”

“Well, I missed you. And I got you something. Think of it as an early birthday present,” Blaine said as he perched on the edge of Burt’s desk.

“Blaine, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Kurt said.

“I know I didn’t have to but I wanted to. And technically I didn’t _get_ you anything I _won_ you something,” Blaine said with a mischievous look.

“What do you mean you won me something?” Kurt asked in confusion. He didn’t know of any fairs or carnivals in town.

“There was a contest on the radio today. I called in and I won, wait for it, two tickets to see Lady Gaga in Columbus on May 27th, your birthday,” Blaine announced as he pulled two tickets out of his back pocket.

“What!” Kurt exclaimed. “Please tell me you’re not kidding!”

“I’m not,” Blaine said with a chuckle as Kurt flung himself into Blaine’s arms. “I thought we could drive down there on Tuesday, get a hotel room, and drive back on Wednesday.”

Kurt froze, pulling back to look into Blaine’s hazel eyes. “I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea.”

“Why not?” Blaine asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Kurt had just been excited but now he had doubts?

“I have to think about Aly, Blaine,” Kurt reminded him patiently.

“I know. I thought maybe your father and Carole could watch her,” Blaine said slowly. He didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. After all, Aly wasn’t his daughter. Blaine had had very little contact with the girl.

“Overnight?” Kurt asked uncertainly.

“Kurt,” Blaine paused, unsure of how to continue. “Have you ever spent a night apart from Aly?”

Kurt bit his lip, hesitating before he answered honestly. “No.”

“Really?” Blaine said in surprise. “But I thought your glee club went to nationals in New York your junior year and to Chicago in your senior year.”

“We did. My dad came to both with Aly. I stayed in a hotel room with her both times,” Kurt explained. “I wouldn’t have gone if I had to leave her behind.”

_ Monday April 25, 2011 _

_Spring break had passed much too quickly for Kurt, who had enjoyed spending an entire week with his daughter without having to worry about schoolwork. Of course, he still had his hours at his dad’s garage, but Burt had been kind enough to cut them back so Kurt could spend time with Aly. But now it was Monday; spring break was over. And with a month until nationals, that was all the New Directions could talk about._

_“I’m so excited!” Rachel Berry squealed as they walked into the choir room. “I can’t believe we’re going to New York. What’s the first thing we’re going to do?”_

_“I don’t know. I’m not going,” Kurt said flatly. The entire group, Will Schuester included, turned to look at Kurt._

_“What do you mean you’re not going?” Puck asked from the back row, raising an eyebrow._

_“We’ll lose without you,” Tina Cohen-Chang said with a frown._

_“No, you won’t. I’m sorry, guys, but I can’t go,” Kurt said as he took his seat next to Rachel on the front row. As far as he was concerned the conversation was over. He had made his decision, which he saw as his only option._

_“Give me one good reason you can’t go with us,” Puck demanded stubbornly._

_“Let’s see. She’s nine weeks old, blonde, blue eyes, weighs eleven pounds and happens to be_ my daughter _,” Kurt answered with a roll of his eyes._

_“Oh,” Puck said, pausing to think. “Well can’t your dad watch her?”_

_"I’m not going to leave my daughter to go to a different state when she’s only a few months old,” Kurt said, turning to look at Puck in disbelief._

_“Kurt, has your dad mentioned if he is going to come see us perform?” Will asked helpfully._

_“I don’t know. I didn’t bother asking since I’m not going,” Kurt admitted, turning back around to face Will._

_“What if he comes to New York with Aly? You could stay in a room with her and your parents. It’s just a suggestion,” Will said._

_“I don’t know,” Kurt said hesitantly. There were too many things that could go wrong. He didn’t want anything to happen to Aly. It was his job to protect her._

_“Come on, dude. She’ll be what,” Finn paused to do the math._

_“Thirteen weeks, Finn. She’ll be thirteen weeks old when we’re in New York,” Rachel finished for him in exasperation._

_“Right. She’ll be older then,” Finn said._

_Kurt shook his head. “She’ll be five weeks older, Finn.”_

_“Please, Kurt. Going to New York just won’t be the same without my best friend,” Mercedes Jones said from behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder._

_Kurt turned to look at her, sighing when he saw her disheartened expression. “I’ll talk to my dad. I’m not promising anything, but if he agrees to come too,_ and _travel with a thirteen-week-old, then I will consider it.”_

Blaine’s voice jarred Kurt from the memory. “Kurt, I’m not going to make you go. I completely understand that your daughter comes first and you’re afraid to leave her overnight. But there is going to come a time when she’ll want to sleep over at a friend’s house and you won’t be there.”

Kurt sighed unhappily. “Just let me think about it, please?”

“Of course. Take as much time as you need,” Blaine said. He brushed his lips against Kurt’s. “I need to get back to work. I’ll call you later tonight.”

“Okay,” Kurt replied. He watched Blaine leave with a frown.

“What’s wrong?” Puck asked reentering the room after Blaine had left the garage.

“Blaine won tickets to see Lady Gaga in Columbus on my birthday,” Kurt explained with a sigh. He flopped back into the chair behind his dad’s desk.

“So? Shouldn’t you be happy?” Puck asked, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I _am_ happy, Puck,” Kurt said unconvincingly. “But what about Aly? I can’t just leave her.”

“Why not? Your dad can watch her,” Puck pointed out.

“I know he _can_ , but it’s not his job to. She’s _my_ daughter,” Kurt said sternly.

“You’ve never left her overnight, have you?” Puck asked incredulously.

“No, I haven’t. There’s never been a reason to. Not when Dad drove up to see us at nationals both times,” Kurt reminded him.

“Right. Well, now there is a reason to.” Kurt opened his mouth to protest but Puck stopped him. “You’re going to have to let go some time, Kurt. She won’t be three-years-old forever.”

Puck left the office without another word, knowing Kurt needed time to think. Sighing unhappily, Kurt sank down into his dad’s chair. Maybe Blaine and Puck were right. He knew Aly would want to have sleepovers like any normal child once she got older. Leaving her with his parents was much better than his daughter’s friend’s parents that he would barely know. But what if something happened?

 _Dad and Carole both raised sons. They know what to do if something happens, not that anything_ will _,_ Kurt reminded himself. He sighed. The logical answer was to let his dad take Aly for the night. Blaine was just trying to do something special for his birthday. _And_ it was Lady Gaga. Maybe a night free of responsibilities was a good idea. He was turning twenty-one after all. Though he still had his doubts, Kurt sent Blaine a quick text saying he’d talk to his dad. He couldn’t make any decisions until he had Aly taken care of. Then, and only then, would he accept Blaine’s gift.


	3. Chapter 3:  No Expectations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am changing the weekly update of this story from Friday to Saturday. With school and work, my week days are crazy and I have enough trouble finding time to write let alone update. If things get too hectic for me to update for a while, I will let you know but I’m really hoping that won’t happen.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: sexual references
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Three:  No Expectations

Friday May 16, 2014

Kurt had yet to speak to his father about watching Aly so he could go to Columbus with Blaine. For as long as Kurt could remember they had celebrated his birthday with a special family dinner followed by a viewing of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s _The Sound of Music._ As much as Kurt loved this tradition, he really wanted to go to the Lady Gaga concert with Blaine.

Not wanting to upset his father by asking to change tradition, Kurt had put off talking to him. He didn’t want to bring it up at the garage anyway. Now that it was Friday, Kurt knew he couldn’t put it off any longer. His dad could tell he was keeping something from him but he hadn’t pressed it yet. But Burt could only ignore it for so long. So Kurt had decided to talk to him at their weekly Friday night dinner.

“There’s my beautiful granddaughter!” Burt exclaimed when Kurt walked through the door with Aly on his hip.

“Gwamps!” Aly squealed, reaching out her little arms for her grandfather.

Burt took Aly from Kurt, smiling when she hugged him around the neck. He pressed a kiss to her blonde hair. “How’s my sweet girl?”

“Good,” Aly said, kicking her feet to be put down.

“Alexandra Elizabeth, no kicking! You know better,” Kurt scolded as he placed his messenger bag against the wall.

“Sowwy, Daddy,” Aly said with a frown.

“Don’t apologize to me. Tell Grandpa you’re sorry,” Kurt instructed as he toed off his favorite shoes, black Alexander McQueen for Puma Scythe sneakers he’d owned since he was sixteen.

“I’m sowwy, Gwamps,” Aly said, looking up at Burt.

“It’s all right, sweetie,” Burt said, kissing her cheek. “Why don’t you go play?”

Burt put her on the ground, smiling fondly when she ran off to play with the toys they kept in the house for her. Kurt followed his dad into the kitchen, where Carole was preparing dinner. The kitchen had always been one of Kurt’s favorite places in the Hudmel house. The walls were painted a light yellow. The cabinets were white with silver handles and the countertops were a light gray marble.

“There you are,” Carole said with a smile when she saw Kurt enter the room.

“Here I am.” Kurt walked to her side in front of the stove, kissing her cheek quickly. “It smells delicious.”

“Thank you.” Carole beamed. “You boys go watch TV while I finish up.”

“Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you both without Aly.” Kurt bit his lip nervously, turning to lean his back against the counter.

“What’s wrong?” Burt asked instantly.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Kurt answered quickly, looking his father in the eyes. “It’s about my birthday.”

“What about your birthday?” Burt asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

“I know we have the whole family tradition-”

“Which your mother started,” Burt interjected, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know, Dad. And I love that tradition.”

“But. . . .”

“But Blaine won tickets to see Lady Gaga in Columbus. The concert is the night of my birthday,” Kurt said quickly, knowing he wouldn’t get the words out any other way. He could tell his dad was not pleased with the prospect of breaking a tradition started by Kurt’s mother.

“And you want to go.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I do.” Kurt nodded, biting his lip.

Burt sighed unhappily, running a hand over his face. “You’re almost twenty-one, Kurt. I can’t stop you from going.”

“Actually you can. I need someone to watch Aly,” Kurt pointed out.

“You know we’ll be more than happy to take care of our granddaughter,” Carole told him, not looking up from the pot she was stirring.

“There’s just one thing,” Kurt paused, glancing at Carole. “I’d be staying in Columbus for the night.”

“With Blaine?” Burt questioned.

“Of course with Blaine,” Kurt said, a blush rising to his cheeks.

“Are you sleeping with this guy?” Burt asked bluntly.

“Burt!” Carole admonished, dropping the spoon on the countertop.

“What?”

"Dad, that’s really none of your business,” Kurt said, blushing furiously. He wrung his hands together, knowing where this conversation was going.

“You’ve only known this guy for a month, Kurt,” Burt reminded him.

“I’m well aware of how long I’ve known _my_ boyfriend,” Kurt said angrily. “I know what I’m doing, Dad. I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were, son. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. And what about Aly?” Burt asked, nodding towards the living room where the toddler was playing quietly.

“Aly’s met Blaine twice, Dad. I was there both times and they had minimum interaction,” Kurt answered with a sigh. “Do you really think I would let her get close to him?”

“But you’re getting close to him,” Burt pressed.

“God, Dad, make me spell it out why don’t you! I’m not sleeping with Blaine _or_ anyone else!” Kurt exclaimed angrily. He added as an afterthought, “And if it makes you feel even better, I’ve never slept with anyone except for Brittany!”

“Oh,” Burt said awkwardly. “Well, good.”

“So will you watch her? Please? It’s just for one night and then I’ll be home,” Kurt said with exasperation. This entire conversation was mortifying and had already lasted much longer than it should have.

“Of course we will, honey,” Carole answered. She leaned in closer to whisper, “Ignore your father. He means well.”

“I heard that,” Burt said with a grunt, moving to sit at the kitchen table.

Carole laughed. Kurt was glad she could see the humor in this situation. He had found the entire discussion mortifying. Thankfully, the awkwardness faded quickly. Dinner was excellent as always and Kurt enjoyed talking to his dad outside of the workplace. He was disappointed when he noticed it was already a quarter past six o’clock. Kurt thanked his parents for the meal before gathering Aly’s things and heading towards home. He gave Aly a quick bath before tucking her into bed.

"Which story do you want tonight, sweetie?” Kurt asked, settling down next to her in the toddler bed.

“Cindeweya,” Aly answered.

Kurt smiled. Aly crawled into his lap, resting her head against his chest. Kurt ran a hand through her blonde hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“How would you like to stay the night with Mimi and Gramps?” Kurt asked her carefully.

“When?” Aly asked excitedly, her head snapping up.

Kurt smiled as his daughter’s cerulean eyes lit up. “In a little over a week. Daddy’s going to Columbus with a friend.”

“Okay,” Aly said. “Will you tey me a towy now?”

Kurt laughed. “Yes, I will tell you the story of Cinderella now.”

Kurt made it halfway through the story before Aly fell asleep. He carefully lifted Aly off of his lap, laying her down on the mattress. He pulled the covers up over her, kissing her forehead before he plugged in her nightlight. Looking back one last time, Kurt turned off the overhead light and closed the room door behind him. Walking into his bedroom, he found the baby monitor and made sure it was working. He took the monitor with him into his bathroom, taking a quick shower while keeping an ear open for his daughter. Kurt had just stepped out of the shower when his cell phone rang. The screen lit up with Blaine’s name and he smiled.

“You have perfect timing,” he said as way of answering the call.

“Don’t I though?” Blaine said with a laugh. “But what are you specifically referring to this time?”

“I just stepped out of the shower,” Kurt said as he used one hand to towel dry his hair.

“Oh,” Blaine said awkwardly, trying not to visualize Kurt naked. He failed miserably. Clearing his throat, Blaine spoke again. His voice was slightly roughened but if Kurt noticed he didn’t say anything. “I know we both have to work tomorrow but I’m just around the corner. I was hoping I could stop by to talk for a minute.”

“Aly’s asleep,” Kurt said instantly. “How about we talk now?”

“I’d much rather we talk about this in person,” Blaine said vaguely.

“Oh God. You’re breaking up with me,” Kurt said before he could stop himself.

“What, no! No, no, no! It’s not that, not that at all,” Blaine said quickly. “It’s nothing bad I promise. Just please, can I come over?”

Relief washed over Kurt instantly. His grip on the phone loosened considerably as he answered. “Don’t ring the doorbell; it’ll wake Aly up. I’ll come down and let you in. Give me five minutes to get dressed.”

“Okay. I’ll text you when I get there,” Blaine said before hanging up the phone.

Kurt dressed quickly, but as impeccably as ever. He had just finished buttoning his shirt when his phone chimed with a text message from Blaine. Kurt checked in on Aly. Satisfied that she was sleeping peacefully, he hurried out of the apartment and down the stairs to let Blaine in.

“Hey,” Kurt said brightly. He pulled Blaine into the hallway, not stopping to pause before he hurried back up the stairs. Blaine followed him without question. Once they were in the apartment, Kurt turned to face him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave Aly alone for long.”

“It’s okay, I understand. Come here.” Blaine pulled Kurt towards him. Their lips brushed together in a slow, sensuous kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Kurt’s face was flushed.

“Do you want to sit down?” Kurt asked breathlessly.

“Sure but just for a second. We both have work in the morning,” Blaine said as he followed Kurt into the living room. They sat on the couch, facing each other.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Kurt asked curiously.

“Have you asked your dad if he can watch Aly for your birthday?” Blaine asked.

“I did tonight. He said yes,” Kurt said with a smile.

“That’s great. I was going to book the hotel tomorrow but I wanted to make sure we were going. Which brings us to what I wanted to talk to you about.” Blaine paused, collecting his thoughts. “We haven’t been together for very long, and I want you to know I’m not expecting anything. But the hotel is going to ask and I don’t want to make any assumptions.”

“Will you just ask me already?” Kurt asked with a grin.

“Fine, all right.” Blaine nodded. “Should I book a double or a single?”

“Oh.” Kurt had not been expecting this.

“I wouldn’t even be asking but the hotel is going to and I want you to be comfortable. Again, I don’t expect anything, Kurt,” Blaine said quickly.

“No, it’s fine. I just hadn’t thought about that,” Kurt said slowly.

“I’m fine either way, Kurt. I don’t-”

“Expect anything, yeah I know. Look, there’s something I need to tell you.” Kurt pulled his lip between his teeth.

“You know you can tell me anything,” Blaine said when Kurt didn’t continue, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

“I know,” Kurt said. He sighed, heavily. “You know you’re my first boyfriend.”

Blaine nodded, encouraging Kurt to continue.

“It’s just . . . I’ve never done _any_ of this before. _Any_ of it,” Kurt placed emphasis on the first word, hoping Blaine would understand what he was saying.

“You mean you’re a virgin,” Blaine said as realization hit him.

Kurt chuckled.

“Not exactly,” Kurt answered. He elaborated when Blaine’s expression remained blank. “I _do_ have a three-year-old daughter.”

“Oh, right,” Blaine said.

“But other than that one time with Brittany. . . . I mean that was it. One time was enough, at least with a girl. I spent the entire time trying not to look at her while she did all the work. And as far as guys go, I was the only out gay kid in Lima. After Aly was born I had little time to spend with anyone else. And honestly I didn’t want to. I was happy to spend all my time with her. This is all just very new to me.”

Blaine nodded, thinking before he spoke. “I’m not going to lie. I’m not a virgin. I’ve made mistakes in my life before. I lost my virginity in high school to a guy I thought loved me. He cheated on me three weeks later. My only other sexual experience was in college. A guy I really liked led me on. I thought he was actually interested in me. We had sex once. Not long after, my grandmother died and while I was grieving he was still trying to get into my pants. Needless to say I never spoke to him again. After that happened, I was even more determined to finish college in three years instead of four.

“So see, I don’t have much more experience than you do. I stopped dating until I met you. I knew you were different. Honest, caring.”

“I’m sorry you went through that,” Kurt said softly.

“I’m not. It hurt, yes, but those experiences helped me to learn. They made me who I am today. After that happened, I knew I didn’t want some casual relationship. I want someone I can settle down with, have a family with. I know I’m only twenty-two but I’ve never been like other guys my age. I’ve never been normal, whatever that is,” Blaine said seriously.

“Normal is a relative term,” Kurt said wisely.

“That it is,” Blaine agreed. He took Kurt’s hand in his, rubbing the smooth skin of the back of his hand with his thumb.

“You should book a single,” Kurt said suddenly.

“What?” Blaine asked, looking up in surprise.

“You should book a single,” Kurt repeated patiently. “I’m not saying anything is going to happen. I can almost _guarantee_ that it won’t. I’m not ready for that . . . yet. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not ready to experience other firsts with you.” Kurt laughed dryly. “You know I’ve never shared a bed with someone that wasn’t my parent or my daughter?”

Blaine smiled weakly. “Okay. If that’s what you want, and you’re one hundred percent sure.”

“I am,” Kurt assured him.

Blaine squeezed his hand before he stood up. “I should get going then. I have a hotel to book and work in the morning.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Kurt said as he followed him to the door.

“It’s okay. Stay here with Aly,” Blaine said. He leaned up to press his lips against Kurt’s.

“Bye,” Kurt said reluctantly when Blaine pulled away.

“Bye. I’ll text you when I get home.” And with that, Blaine was gone.

**KAB**

Tuesday May 27, 2014

Since he was seventeen-years-old, Kurt knew he would not have a normal twenty-first birthday, but it was turning out to be much more than he had originally anticipated. His dad had given him the day off from work. With Aly at preschool, Kurt had hardly known what to do with himself. He spent the majority of the day reading, waiting until it was two o’clock. Normally Aly stayed at the afterschool program until Kurt got off work and could pick her up, but today he wanted to spend some time with her before he took her to his dad’s house.

At half past three, Kurt dropped Aly off with his father. After a tearful goodbye, he drove back home alone. By four o’clock, Kurt was in Blaine’s car and they were headed out of Lima. The drive to Columbus wasn’t too long. They passed the two hours talking and singing along loudly to Lady Gaga.

After a month of dating, Kurt knew plenty about Blaine’s interests, likes and dislikes, but not much about his family. He was surprised when Blaine brought up the subject. Kurt knew Blaine’s dad was unsupportive, while his mother was very understanding. He was surprised to learn that Blaine had spent a lot of time with his grandmother growing up, as his parents were often away on business. Blaine was very close to his grandmother, who left him a trust fund when she died while he was in college. This was the money he had used to open his restaurant. He also had an older brother, Cooper, who Blaine was fairly close to but never got to see him.

Kurt felt that there wasn’t much about him that Blaine didn’t already know, seeing as how Aly was his entire life. But once Blaine brought up glee club, Kurt found he couldn’t stop talking. Glee club had been the best part of high school. While his peers had been less than receptive to the news that he was a teenage father, the glee club had supported him through everything. When Aly got sick and Kurt refused to attend school, they took turns bringing him his homework. When Kurt had been unable to pay for field trips, the glee club stepped up to help him out. They really were his family and they cared about Aly more than Kurt ever imagined they would.

Between the talking and singing, the two-hour drive passed quickly. They checked into their hotel and headed to dinner before the concert started at seven o’clock. And before Kurt knew it he was sitting in his seat, staring up at the stage. The concert seemed to be over in a matter of minutes, even though Kurt realized it had lasted a couple hours. Unfortunately, it ended all too soon and it was time to head back to the hotel. They discussed the concert with enthusiasm during the short drive. Kurt was so busy talking he had forgotten to be nervous about the sleeping arrangements.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asked when he saw Kurt frozen in the room, staring at the queen-size bed.

Kurt shook himself out of his thoughts. “Sorry, I’m fine.”

“Don’t be nervous,” Blaine said soothingly. He put their suitcases down before turning back to Kurt and taking his hands in his. “It’s just me. Remember, there are no expectations. It’s just us.”

Kurt smiled. “Just us.”

“Do you want to shower first?” Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded. He got the necessities from his suitcase before disappearing into the bathroom. He turned the hot water on, drawing in a shuddering breath. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. There was no reason to be. He knew nothing would happen tonight. He wasn’t ready for anything sexual yet, and Blaine understood that. Stripping off his clothes, Kurt stepped into the shower, wishing his worries would flow down the drain with the water. But they didn’t. Kurt dried himself off and slipped into his pajamas, hesitating only a second before he exited the bathroom. Blaine was sitting on the bed, engrossed in a large novel.

“All done?” Blaine asked with a smile when he heard Kurt enter the room.

“Yes,” Kurt said with a nod. “It’s your turn.”

“I’ll be right back.” Blaine pressed a quick kiss to his lips before sliding past him into the bathroom.

Blaine didn’t take nearly as much time as Kurt in the bathroom. Kurt had picked up the book Blaine had been reading, _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ , and was reading the first chapter when he reentered the room.

“How many times have you read it?” Blaine asked.

Kurt jumped; he hadn’t heard Blaine come in. “Too many to count.”

“I read the entire series about once a year,” Blaine admitted as Kurt laid the book to the side.

Kurt smiled, but only for a second. As Blaine pulled the covers back, Kurt felt his nervousness return. It must have shown on his face because Blaine froze.

“If you’re not okay with this, if you changed your mind I can take the floor,” Blaine offered.

“No!” Kurt exclaimed quickly. He took a deep breath and repeated it more calmly. “No, it’s fine. I’ve just never done this before.”

“I know. But there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just me. Just us,” Blaine repeated his words from earlier. He kissed Kurt quickly before instructing him, “Lay down with your back to me.”

Kurt’s breath quickened but he listened, laying down on his side facing the window. Blaine slipped between the sheets, spooning up behind Kurt. He held him close, bringing his hand up to lace his fingers with Kurt’s over his heart. Kurt found himself relaxing into Blaine’s hold.

Smiling, he said, “This is nice.”

Blaine chuckled, pressing a kiss to the back of Kurt’s neck. “See, nothing to be nervous about.”

Kurt hummed in contentment, snuggling back against Blaine before he fell into a deep sleep. Blaine followed soon after, dreaming about the man sleeping in his arms.

**KAB**

Wednesday May 28, 2014

Kurt was frantic the next morning when Blaine woke. He was tearing his suitcase apart, searching for something. Confused, Blaine sat up in bed.

“Wassgoingon?” he asked groggily, blinking his bleary eyes at his boyfriend.

“I can’t find my phone. Have you seen my phone?” Kurt asked, his voice rising in panic.

Blaine pushed the covers back. He gently took Kurt by the shoulders and walked him back to the bed.

“Blaine, what’re you doing? I need to find my phone,” Kurt said, trying to push Blaine away.

“Kurt, calm down. What’s the matter?” Blaine asked, sitting next to Kurt on the bed.

“I can’t find my phone and I need to call my dad. He hasn’t called me. What if something happened to Aly? What if she’s hurt or she had a nightmare and wanted me?” Kurt asked quickly, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Hey, don’t cry. I’m sure everything is all right. Your dad didn’t call you because everything is perfectly fine. He probably didn’t want to bother you while you’re away. Just relax. We’ll find your phone and you can call and talk to Aly,” Blaine said. He rubbed Kurt’s back soothingly. He knew this was the first time Kurt had spent the night away from Aly and that was sure to bring a lot of anxiety.

“I looked everywhere. I can’t find it,” Kurt said weakly.

“Did you check in the bathroom?” Blaine asked.

Kurt sprinted across the room, yelling out “I found it!” as he walked out of the bathroom. He was already dialing a number and lifting the phone to his ear.

“Dad! Is Aly there? Can I talk to her?” Kurt relaxed instantly when he heard Aly’s voice on the other line, his cerulean eyes lighting up with happiness.

“Daddy?”

“Hi, princess. Are you having fun with Gramps and Mimi?” Kurt asked.

“Yep! Mimi made pancakes,” Aly answered, her voice filled with joy.

“I bet they were really yummy,” Kurt said with a smile.

“Tey wewe. I miss you,” Aly said.

“I miss you too, sweetie. Daddy will be home this afternoon. I’ll come pick you up from preschool. Would you like that?” Kurt asked as he sank down onto the bed next to Blaine.

“Ten we’w pway?” Aly asked.

“Yes, then we will play. I love you. Can you give the phone back to Gramps?”

“I wuv you too,” Aly answered before passing the phone back to her grandfather.

Kurt talked to his father for a few more minutes before he hung up. He turned back to Blaine, a slow blush rising on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’d be more worried if you weren’t thinking about her,” Blaine answered. He kissed Kurt chastely. “Now come back to bed. It’s seven o’clock and neither of us have to work today. That means we get to sleep in.”

Kurt laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I slept in.”

“Well now you will. Come on.” Blaine opened his arms, smiling when Kurt moved into them.

Kurt laid his head on Blaine’s chest, pressing a kiss to his collarbone before he spoke. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

Blaine laughed. “You’re welcome. I wanted your birthday to be special.”

“It was,” Kurt assured him.

Blaine smiled as Kurt drifted off to sleep in his arms. Maybe their relationship would be easier if Kurt didn’t have a daughter, but Blaine wouldn’t change anything for all the money in world.


	4. Chapter 4:  Daddy Loves Blaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter came very close to not being posted tonight, but I managed to find the time to update. Work and school are both very demanding at the moment but I hope this won’t affect my update schedule. If it does I will let you know, until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: None
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Four:  Daddy Loves Blaine

Monday June 9, 2014

Kurt was anxious for work to be over. Today was his and Blaine’s two month anniversary and they had plans to go see a movie after a romantic dinner. They rarely went out in the evenings because of Aly, but as it was their anniversary Kurt had asked Carole to watch her for a few hours.

As he stepped out of his dad’s office, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Kurt pulled it out, smiling when he saw he had a new message from Blaine. He opened the text and read it. _I’m still not telling you where we’re going for dinner. Just dress nice._ Kurt frowned. All week Blaine had refused to disclose the location of their dinner date.

Opening his phone to a blank message, Kurt began to reply. He took one step forward, but the ground moved out from under him. He had stepped on a creeper, which flipped up as he took a step. His foot twisted as he tried to regain his footing. Before Kurt could catch his balance with his other foot, he was on the ground.

“Kurt, are you okay?” Burt called out from across the garage, hurrying to his son’s side.

“I hurt my ankle,” Kurt answered, holding his foot in his hand.

“What happened?” Burt asked, gently moving Kurt’s foot so he could examine his ankle. Pain shot through Kurt’s ankle as Burt moved it.

“I wasn’t looking where I was going and accidentally stepped on the creeper,” Kurt said, flinching as his dad flexed his foot.

“I’m going to kill Puck. I’ve told him numerous times to put that thing up before someone tripped on it,” Burt said angrily. He carefully put Kurt’s foot down. “Can you walk?”

“I don’t know.” Kurt braced himself on his arms, trying to lift himself off the ground. Burt slipped under Kurt’s arm, wrapping an arm around his waist as he lifted him to his feet. Kurt gingerly tried to take a step with his right foot but immediately lifted it back up, exclaiming in pain.

“I’m driving you to the hospital. You need an x-ray,” Burt said as he helped Kurt towards his car.

“No, Dad. You can’t leave the shop. I’ll drive myself.” Kurt shook his head.

“You’re going to drive with your left foot?” Burt asked skeptically.

“Whoa, what happened?” Puck asked as he entered the garage.

“What happened? What happened is you forgot to put the creeper up again and Kurt tripped over it!” Burt said angrily.

“Are you okay, dude?” Puck asked, walking over to Kurt’s side.

“I hurt my ankle.” Kurt sighed. “I’ll be fine, Dad. I’ll manage somehow.”

“No, you won’t.” Burt turned to Puck. “This is your fault. You take him to the hospital.”

Thinking it best not to speak, Puck helped support Kurt and began to walk him towards his Navigator. He held onto Kurt’s arm as he sank down into the passenger seat before hurrying to the driver’s side.

“I’m sorry, dude,” Puck said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Its okay, Puck. I should’ve been looking where I was going,” Kurt said with a sigh, leaning his head back against the seat.

“Is Carole working?” Puck asked.

“She should be,” Kurt answered.

Several minutes later they were pulling up to the hospital. Carole was waiting outside with a wheelchair. She hurried to the car, helping Kurt into the wheelchair.

“Burt called and told me what happened,” Carole explained as she wheeled him into the ER. “We’re taking you straight to x-ray.”

Kurt nodded, turning to Puck who was following behind them. “You don’t have to stay, Puck.”

“How are you going to get home?” Puck asked. When Kurt didn’t answer Puck smirked. “I’m staying.”

"That’s fine, honey, but you’ll have to wait in the exam room while he gets an x-ray,” Carole said. She told him where to go before wheeling Kurt down to the x-ray room.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting in the exam room while a doctor lifted the x-ray up to the light. The doctor slipped the x-ray back into its envelope before turning to Carole, Kurt, and Puck.

“It’s not broken,” the doctor said. Kurt sighed in relief. The doctor continued, “But it is badly sprained. You’ll have to stay off of it for a week.”

“A week?” Kurt exclaimed. “How am I supposed to work? I can’t take off of work! I need to provide for my daughter!”

“I’ll write you a work excuse for the week,” the doctor answered as if that solved everything. Kurt frowned, opening his mouth to protest further but Carole cut him off.

“I can help you with Aly, dear,” Carole offered.

"You don’t have to do that, Carole.” Kurt sighed. “I can manage. I’ll just keep her out of daycare for the week. Thankfully, preschool is out for the summer.”

“Here’s a prescription for pain medicine.” The doctor scribbled on a prescription pad before handing it to Kurt. “Remember, stay off that foot for one week.”

Carole took Kurt to the hospital pharmacy to fill the prescription. She also secured some crutches for him to use for the week. Kurt supported his weight on the crutches, slowly making his way back out to his Navigator.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to help you with Aly?” Carole asked as she watched Puck help Kurt into the car.

“I’m sure, Carole, but thank you,” Kurt answered.

“Call us if you need anything,” Carole said. She kissed his cheek before bidding them goodbye and scurrying back into the hospital.

“Where are you going?” Kurt asked when Puck turned left out of the hospital.

“I’m taking you home,” Puck replied, wondering if the pain medication was already making Kurt forgetful.

“We have to go get Aly. Turn around,” Kurt instructed.

Puck did a U-turn, heading back towards Aly’s daycare. They pulled up in front of the building and Puck cut the engine. Kurt opened his door and tried to lift himself onto the crutches but he wasn’t used to them yet and fell back into the car.

“You’re supposed to wait for me,” Puck said as he came around to Kurt’s side of the car. He helped him to stand, shutting the door as Kurt took several uneasy steps with the crutches. “You didn’t even have to get out. I could’ve gotten her.”

“Her teacher doesn’t know you. She wouldn’t let Aly go with someone she doesn’t know and who isn’t approved by me to pick her up,” Kurt replied.

Puck held the door open and they walked down the hall, stopping at the three-year-olds room. Again, Puck opened the door, allowing Kurt to enter the room first. Aly looked up when she heard the door open, her eyes lighting up when she caught sight of her father.

“Daddy!” Aly squealed. She ran to Kurt and was preparing to fling herself at his legs when Puck intercepted her.

“Whoa, Munchkin. You need to be gentle with Daddy; he’s hurt,” Puck told her as he lifted her to his hip.

"Daddy has a booboo?” Aly asked.

“Yes, sweetie. Daddy has a booboo,” Kurt said as he waved to Aly’s teacher. He followed Puck and Aly out of the room.

“Down, Uncle Puck,” Aly demanded as Puck carried her down the hall.

“What do you say, Aly?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow at his daughter.

“Please,” Aly said automatically.

Puck put her down, smiling when her little hand wrapped around one of his fingers. He held the door open for Kurt, following behind him across the parking lot. Puck helped Kurt climb into the car first, then helping Aly climb into her car seat.

“Is Uncle Puck going home too?” Aly asked as Puck fumbled with the buckle of her car seat.

“Move, Puck, I’ll get it,” Kurt said. He turned around to buckle Aly into the car seat. He groaned in pain as he turned back around.

“Is Uncle Puck going home?” Aly repeated, not happy that her father had ignored her.

“No, sweetie. Uncle Puck is just dropping us off.” With a thought, Kurt turned to Puck as he climbed behind the wheel. “How _are_ you going to get home? You can take my car if you want.”

"It’s okay. I’ll call a cab,” Puck said as he pulled out of the parking lot of the daycare center.

Once they pulled into Kurt’s apartment complex, Puck helped Kurt out of the car first before letting Aly out of her car seat. She reached her arms towards Kurt. Kurt was clearly unable to pick her up, so Puck lifted her onto his hip. He helped Kurt up the stairs to his apartment while balancing Aly on one hip. When they reached the door, Puck took the keys from Kurt, opening the door. He set Aly down before helping Kurt to the couch.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help with her?” Puck asked uncertainly as Aly scurried over to her toys.

“I’m fine, Puck. Thank you. If I need anything I’ll call my dad and Carole,” Kurt assured him as he settled back against the cushions.

“You can call me too,” Puck reminded him.

“I know. Thanks, Puck. I’ll talk to you later,” Kurt said.

“Bye, Kurt. Bye, Aly.” Puck waved at his honorary niece.

Aly ran across the room, throwing herself at his legs. “Bye, Uncle Puck!”

Puck smiled, hugging the toddler before he left the apartment. Now that he was gone, Kurt allowed himself to wonder what he would do for an entire week while he couldn’t work. Then he remembered, he was supposed to have a date with Blaine tonight. He groaned before fishing his phone out of his pocket and dialing Blaine’s number.

“Hello?” Blaine answered on the second ring.

“Hey, I have bad news,” Kurt said as he watched Aly play with her stuffed animals.

“You can’t make it,” Blaine said in disappointment.

“I’m sorry. I tripped at work and sprained my ankle. The doctor told me to stay off of it for an entire week,” Kurt said. He glanced over to where he had last seen Aly, frowning when she wasn’t there. He looked to his right, his eyes widening as he saw her climbing up the back of the loveseat. “Alexandra Elizabeth Hummel, get down right now.”

Aly climbed back down with a frown because she’d caught. Blaine listened to the exchange between father and daughter.

“I’m coming over,” Blaine told him.

“No, I’m okay, really. I’ll be fine,” Kurt told him as he kept an eye on Aly who was now playing with Crystal the cat, her favorite stuffed animal.

“Have you had dinner yet?” Blaine asked.

“Not yet. I was going to make some sandwiches,” Kurt answered.

“And Aly will need a bath,” Blaine reminded him.

“I’m fully capable of giving my daughter a bath,” Kurt told him.

“I’m coming over,” Blaine repeated.

Kurt sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. “Fine.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Blaine said before hanging up.

Twenty minutes later, the buzzer sounded. Kurt grabbed his crutches and slowly made his way to the door. He pressed the button that would allow Blaine into the building before unlocking the door. He had just flopped down on the couch when Blaine entered the apartment carrying several grocery bags.

“How do you feel?” Blaine asked. He leaned in to kiss Kurt, but Kurt looked meaningfully at Aly who was watching them. Blaine pulled back with a smile. “Hello, Aly. Do you remember me?”

"Yuw Daddy’s fwiend,” Aly said, looking at him with interest.

“I am,” Blaine said with a nod. He turned back to Kurt. “Are you in pain?”

“Not as long as I keep off that foot. The pain medicine the doctor gave me is working,” Kurt answered. “What’s in the bags?”

“I’m going to make spaghetti,” Blaine announced as he carried the bags into Kurt’s kitchen.

“You don’t have to do that, Blaine. You don’t have to go to the trouble,” Kurt called out to him.

“It’s no trouble,” Blaine answered as he took the groceries out of the plastic bags.

When Blaine reentered the living room, Aly was nowhere to be found. Blaine plopped down on the couch next to Kurt. Kurt smiled, leaning towards Blaine to brush their lips together.

“I’m sorry about earlier it’s just I haven’t told Aly about us yet,” Kurt explained, checking to make sure his daughter was still in her room.

“She’s three,” Blaine said bluntly.

“She may be three but if she sees us kissing she _will_ ask questions,” Kurt told him.

Blaine smiled, leaning closer to Kurt. “Then I guess we should get it out of our system while she’s in the other room.”

Kurt closed the distance between them, kissing Blaine slowly. He groaned when he felt Blaine open his mouth, his tongue snaking out to beg entrance to Kurt’s mouth. Kurt opened his mouth, lifting a hand up to wrap in Blaine’s hair. The kiss was growing in passion when a small voice interrupted them.

“Yuw kissing my daddy,” Aly said to Blaine.

Kurt groaned, shooting Blaine an I-told-you-so look. Kurt turned to his daughter, opening his arms. “Come here, Aly Cat.”

Aly went to her father’s side. Kurt lifted her up onto his lap, smiling when she snuggled into his chest. He placed a kiss to the top of her head before pushing her back so he could see her face.

“Aly, Daddy has something to tell you,” Kurt said slowly. Aly was playing with Kurt’s fingers. He gently pried her fingers off of his, putting a finger under her chin until their eyes met. “Can you listen to Daddy, please?”

Aly nodded. Kurt smiled. He looked over at Blaine, who nodded his approval, before he continued.

“Do you remember what Ms. Anna told you when she got married?” Kurt asked, referring to Aly’s preschool teacher.

“Yes,” Aly nodded.

“She told you that she fell in love with a wonderful man and got married, right?” Kurt said. Aly nodded so he continued. “Remember when that happened I told you that girls don’t always fall in love with boys? Sometimes they fall in love with other girls, just like boys sometimes fall in love with other boys.”

“I ‘member,” Aly said.

“That’s good, sweetie. Because Daddy fell in love with someone and he’s a boy too,” Kurt said slowly. Blaine felt like his heart had stopped. He knew he was falling for Kurt, but he had yet to tell him as he was afraid Kurt wouldn’t feel the same way. Yet here he was, telling Blaine in front of his daughter that he was in love with him. Kurt looked up at Blaine with a smile. “Daddy loves Blaine.”

“Okay,” Aly said simply. “Can I play now?”

Kurt laughed. “Yes, you may play now.”

Aly scrambled off of his lap to play in the corner of the living room. When Kurt turned to Blaine, he was surprised to see him still watching him. Blaine had a strange expression on his face that Kurt couldn’t quite put a finger on.

“You love me?” Blaine asked in a whisper.

Kurt bit his lip with a nod. “I do.”

“I love you too,” Blaine answered with a soft smile. His hazel eyes shone with happiness as they looked deeply into Kurt’s cerulean eyes.

Kurt smiled widely. He pressed a quick to kiss to Blaine’s lips, mindful that Aly was still in the room.  When they pulled apart, they kept their heads together. Suddenly Aly was back at her father’s side, trying to climb into his lap.

“Daddy!” Aly said loudly. She reached her arms up. Kurt chuckled, pulling her onto his lap. He kept a hand on her back so she wouldn’t fall backwards.

“What it is, princess?” Kurt asked.

“I’m hungwy,” Aly informed him.

“I’ll go start dinner then,” Blaine said. He got to his feet only to have Aly follow him into the kitchen.

“What’s tat?” she asked, pointing to the box of pasta.

“Those are the ingredients for spaghetti,” Blaine told her.

“Oooh! I love getti!” Aly exclaimed. She ran back out to her father. “Daddy, Bwane’s making getti!”

“Blaine,” Kurt corrected patiently. “And I know, sweetie. Why don’t you go play so Blaine can cook?”

“Wead to me?” Aly requested.

“What do you want to read?” Kurt asked.

“ _Bwown Beaw, Bwown Beaw_ ,” Aly answered.

Kurt sighed, but pulled his crutches towards him so he could go find the book in Aly’s room. He had only taken a step when he was stopped.

“ _What_ do you think you’re doing?” Blaine’s stern voice surprised Kurt, making him jump.

Kurt turned to look at him. “Aly wants me to read to her. The book is in her room.”

“You’re supposed to call me,” Blaine told him. “You’re not supposed to get up unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Says who?” Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Says me,” Blaine answered, waiting for Kurt to challenge him.

“Fine, then you find the book. Aly’s room is the first door on the right,” Kurt told him, pointing towards behind him towards the hall.

Blaine stooped down so he was on Aly’s level. “Which book do you want, sweetie?”

“Bwown Beaw,” Aly told him.

“Let’s go find it then,” Blaine said. He lifted Aly up to his hip, disappearing into her room.

Aly’s bedroom was small, but surprisingly neat for the room of a three-year-old. A white sleigh toddler bed with pink paisley bedding was under the window. A white dresser was pushed against the nearest wall, with at least thirty stuffed animals on top of the dresser. A white bookshelf was against the other wall, filled with all of Aly’s favorite books. Blaine walked over to the bookshelf, chuckling when he saw the books were alphabetized by author. He quickly found _Brown Bear, Brown Bear_ and exited the room. Blaine gave Kurt the book first before he deposited Aly carefully on his lap.

“What do you say?” Kurt asked her.

“Tank you, Bwaine!” Aly exclaimed with a smile.

“You’re welcome, sweetie.” Blaine smiled fondly at the toddler before returning to the kitchen.

By the time Kurt had read _Brown Bear, Brown Bear_ through three times the spaghetti was ready. Blaine helped Kurt into the dining area before watching over Aly carefully as she climbed into her booster seat. He served Kurt first before giving Aly a small portion. He cut up the spaghetti before he placed it in front of Aly. When he looked up Kurt was smiling at him.

“What?” Blaine asked, his face flushing unconsciously.

“I keep waiting to wake up and find out this has all been a wonderful dream,” Kurt said as he twirled spaghetti onto his fork.

Blaine smiled but didn’t speak. Words weren’t needed. Aly’s delighted chattering more than made up for anything Blaine could have said. Once everyone was full, Blaine helped Kurt back into the living room before cleaning up the kitchen. When every surface was spotless, Blaine returned to the living room.

“What time is it?” Kurt asked as Blaine sank onto the couch next to him.

Blaine glanced at his watch before answering, “Six-thirty.”

“Aly needs a bath,” Kurt said as he began to haul himself up onto the crutches.

“Let me do it,” Blaine said, putting a hand on Kurt’s arm to stop him. “You don’t need to strain yourself.”

“How would giving my daughter a bath strain myself? And have you ever bathed a child before?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

“No but it can’t be that hard,” Blaine admitted. He could tell Kurt was still doubtful so he thought of a quick solution. “How about you tell me what to do? That way you don’t have to bend over the tub or anything.”

Kurt thought for a second. “Fine.”

Blaine was right, giving Aly a bath had hardly been a challenge at all. But Kurt insisted that was not always the case. After all, three-year-olds were anything but predictable. Regardless, Aly was soon clean and dressed in her favorite pink nightgown with yellow flowers. Blaine carried her into her room, laying her down on the bed.

“What story do you want?” Kurt asked as he joined Aly on the toddler bed.

“Sweeping Beauty,” Aly said around a stifled yawn.

Aly climbed into her father’s lap, waiting for him to begin. Kurt recited the fairytale from memory, running a hand through his daughter’s blonde locks. Aly fell asleep before the story was finished but Kurt recited it all the way through anyway. Kurt lifted Aly off of his lap and laid her down on the bed. He pulled the covers up over her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Goodnight, princess. Daddy loves you,” Kurt said softly.

Blaine helped Kurt to his feet, pausing at the door to turn the light off. He closed the door behind him quietly. Kurt was already on the couch and Blaine smiled as he joined him.

“You were amazing tonight,” Kurt said as he looked into his eyes with admiration.

“Just tonight?” Blaine asked with a cocky grin.

“Shut up,” Kurt said playfully as he leaned forward slightly.

“Shutting up.” Blaine closed the distance between them. He slanted his mouth over Kurt’s, groaning when Kurt immediately opened his mouth under his lips. His tongue snaked out to dance with Kurt’s. Things escalated quickly and Kurt’s hands had moved to the bottom of Blaine’s shirt and were tugging it upwards when the door buzzer sounded. Kurt pulled away from him, groaning unhappily.

“I better see who that is before they wake Aly up,” Kurt whispered.

“I’ll go.” Blaine was on his feet before Kurt could protest. He pressed the button and spoke into the intercom. “Hello?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought my dolphin lived here,” a female voice said through the speaker.

Kurt was on his feet as fast as he possibly could given the current situation. Blaine turned to look at him in confusion.

“Brittany,” Kurt said in shock.

Blaine’s eyes grew wide. He knew Brittany was the name of Aly’s mother. But as far as he knew she had given up her parental rights three years ago and Kurt hadn’t seen her since. So why was she here now? Blaine shook himself out of his thoughts before asking, “What do you want me to do?”

“Send her up,” Kurt said after a second.

Blaine told Brittany the apartment number, pressing the button that would unlock the door downstairs. Seconds later there was a knock on the door. Blaine opened the door, standing out of the way so Kurt could see his visitor.

“Dolphin!” Brittany said excitedly. She rushed forwards to hug Kurt but paused when she took in his crutches. “You’re hurt.”

“I sprained my ankle,” Kurt said slowly. “Brittany, what are you doing here?”

“I know it’s been a long time-”

“Two years,” Kurt supplied. “I thought you moved to Kentucky with Santana.”

“I did. She graduated so we moved back,” Brittany said.

"Why are you here?” Kurt asked, dreading the answer.

“I was wondering. Do you still have my baby?” Brittany’s words echoed through Kurt’s head as he thought back to the day Aly was born.

_ Friday February 18, 2011 _

_“Congratulations, Mr. Hummel. You have a beautiful baby girl,” the nurse said as she walked over to Kurt with the newborn baby in her arms. “Would you like to hold her?”_

_“I don’t want to break her,” Kurt said fearfully, eyeing his daughter –HIS daughter – with wide eyes._

_The nurse smiled kindly. “You won’t break her. Here, just support her head and her back. There you go.”_

_Kurt looked down in wonder as he held his daughter for the first time. He never thought he would have the opportunity to have his own children, but here he was three months before his eighteenth birthday with a natural born daughter._

_“Does she have a name yet?” the nurse asked._

_“Alexandra,” Kurt answered. “Alexandra Elizabeth Hummel.”_

_“That’s beautiful,” the nurse said with a smile. “I’ll send someone up to help you fill out the birth certificate.”_

_Kurt nodded absently, not taking his eyes off of his daughter. He had almost forgotten Brittany was in the room until she spoke._

_“Are you happy?”_

_Kurt turned to face her, smiling widely as he nodded. “I’ve never been happier, Brit. Would you like to hold her?”_

_“No. I don’t want to get attached to her. It’s going to be hard enough as it is, seeing as how we’re both in glee club still. I know I’m going to see her but I need some time first,” Brittany said as she watched Kurt._

_Kurt wasn’t sure what to say and was thankful when a nurse appeared with the birth certificate in hand. He supplied his daughter’s full name once more, as well as his own name._

_“And the mother’s name?” the nurse asked._

_Kurt paused, turning to Brittany. He wasn’t sure if she wanted her name on the birth certificate or not, given the circumstances._

_“Brittany S. Pierce,” she answered when Kurt didn’t. Once the nurse was finished she turned to leave but Brittany stopped her._

_“I know my name is on her birth certificate, but I want to give up my rights as her mother,” Brittany said._

_Kurt bit his lip uncomfortably. He had known this was coming but he still wished Aly would have a mother in her life. Kurt knew from experience how hard it was growing up without one. But at the same time, having no mother at all was better than having one that didn’t want a child in the first place, or lacked the maturity to care for a child. Regardless, a part of him was angry with Brittany for not wanting their daughter. Kurt tried not to listen as the nurse explained about the necessary paperwork, instead focusing his attention on his daughter. He had chosen this life for the both of them the second he heard her heartbeat. Kurt knew it would be hard raising her on his own, but he would never regret his decision to parent. She was his life now._

“Daddy?” a small voice asked from behind him. Kurt tried to spin around but lost his footing even with the crutches. Blaine’s arm shot out to steady him, keeping him upright. Aly was standing in the doorway of her room, clutching Crystal to her chest.

Kurt looked at Blaine meaningfully. “Blaine, why don’t you take Aly back to bed? I’ll be there in a minute.”

Brittany and Kurt watched Blaine pick Aly up and carry her back to her room. Once they were gone, Brittany asked, “Was that her?”

Kurt shook his head incredulously. “Yes, that was _my_ daughter.”

Brittany’s silence obviously meant she had missed the pronoun usage so Kurt turned and began to walk back towards the couch. Brittany followed him.

"Who’s the guy?”

“My boyfriend, Blaine,” Kurt answered as he sank into the couch. “I don’t mean to be rude, Brittany, but let’s just cut to the chase.”

“What chase?” she asked dimly as she sat next to him.

Kurt sighed. “Why did you come here? It’s been two years since I last saw or heard from you.”

Brittany turned sideways to face him. “I want to see Aly.”

Kurt bit his lip. That was exactly what he had been afraid of. “Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you want to see her now? You had ample opportunity before you left for Louisville but _now_ you want to see her?” Kurt asked.

“I know it’s been a long time, Kurt. But I want to be a part of her life.”

“You signed away your rights as her mother three years ago,” Kurt reminded her harshly.

“I’m not the same person I was three years ago, Kurt,” Brittany said softly. “Ever since Aly’s birth I’ve felt like there’s been something missing in my life. I just want a chance to get that back.”

Kurt thought for a long time. He wanted Aly to have a mother, but he didn’t want her to get hurt either. What if Brittany changed her mind and left again? Kurt was her father. It was his job to protect her. Finally, he spoke, “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you, Kurt. I’ll just let myself out.” Brittany squeezed his hand before she walked out of the small apartment.

Kurt sat there for a minute, unable to move. Once he had gathered himself together, he slowly made his way to Aly’s room. He opened the door, smiling at the sight before him. Blaine was sitting on Aly’s bed with his back against the headboard, reading to the girl though she had already fallen back to sleep, curled up against Blaine’s side. Blaine looked up when he saw Kurt. Kurt put a finger to his lips and motioned for Blaine to follow him. Instead of going back to the couch, Kurt led Blaine to his bedroom. Once there he paused, facing the bed.

“Kurt?” Blaine asked. He moved to stand in front of Kurt, frowning when he saw he was crying. “Oh, Kurt.”

Blaine pulled him into his arms, holding him close as he cried. Small tremors wracked Kurt’s body as a sob tore from his throat.

“I can’t lose her!”

“Lose who? Aly?” Blaine asked.

“Yes, I can’t lose her,” Kurt sobbed.

“You’re not going to lose her, Kurt. Aly isn’t going anywhere,” Blaine said as he rubbed soothing circles into Kurt’s back with one hand.

“You don’t understand!” Kurt sobbed as he pulled away from Blaine. “Brittany wants to see her!”

Blaine sighed. “Kurt, just because Brittany wants to see Aly doesn’t mean she wants to take her away from you. And either way, Brittany can’t see Aly without your consent. She gave up her rights when Aly was born, right?” Kurt nodded. “So see, nothing to worry about.”

“But what if Aly wants to see her?” Kurt asked.

Blaine felt his heart break for his boyfriend. He knew this wasn’t easy for him. “Aly’s asleep. There’s nothing we can do about this right now. Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”

Kurt sighed unhappily but nodded. Blaine helped him change before Kurt stretched out on the bed. Blaine changed into a pair of Kurt’s pajamas before he slipped into bed beside him. Kurt immediately curled up into his side, resting his head on Blaine’s chest. Neither of them found peace in sleep for several hours.


	5. Chapter 5:  I've Been Waiting for You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m sorry I didn’t update last week. I’ve been insanely busy between work and school. I hope this chapter makes up for it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Five:  I’ve Been Waiting for You

Tuesday June 10, 2014

Kurt woke the next morning to hear Aly calling “Daddy!” through the baby monitor. He carefully extracted himself from Blaine, trying not to wake him. Kurt swung his legs over the side of the bed and was reaching for his crutches when Blaine spoke.

“What’re you doing?” Blaine asked groggily.

“Aly’s awake,” Kurt answered.

“I’ll get her,” Blaine said, getting out of bed before Kurt could protest. He strode out of the room.

Several seconds later he returned with Aly on his hip. Her pink nightgown was ruffled from sleep and her blonde hair tangled. She was hugging Crystal the cat to her chest. Aly grinned when she saw Kurt sitting up in bed. Her arms immediately shot out to reach for him, Crystal clasped in one small hand.

“Daddy!” she exclaimed loudly.

Kurt took her from Blaine, hugging her to his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Taking Crystal from her, Kurt gently bopped her on the nose with her. Aly squealed in laughter, grabbing the cat back from him.

“Good morning, princess,” Kurt told her. “Are you ready for some breakfast?”

“Yes!” Aly replied.

“How do pancakes sound?” Blaine asked her.

“Yummy!” Aly said, reaching out for Blaine.

Blaine picked her up. He balanced her on one hip as he helped Kurt out of bed. Kurt did his best to ignore the way Blaine’s shirt rode up to expose a strip of tanned skin but failed miserably.

“You don’t have to cook breakfast,” Kurt said to distract himself as he used his crutches to get into the living room. “Aly usually wants Cheerios on the weekdays.”

“I know I don’t have to but I want to,” Blaine said, silencing Kurt with a chaste kiss. “Go sit down and I’ll get you when breakfast is ready.”

Blaine plopped Aly onto the couch beside her father before disappearing into the kitchen. Kurt turned on the TV so Aly could watch Blue’s Clues while they waited until breakfast was ready. When Blaine was done, he set the table before going back into the living room.

“We invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents . . . your breakfast,” Blaine said in his best French accent.

Kurt laughed. “Merci beaucoup, Lumiére.”

Blaine chuckled, helping Kurt onto his crutches. He picked Aly up, watching over Kurt as he made his way to the dining area. When they were all sitting, Blaine took Aly’s plate and began to cut up her pancake. Kurt smiled fondly at him as he watched. He cut into his own pancake and took a bite.

“These are really good, honey,” Kurt said after he swallowed.

“Thanks, baby,” Blaine said with a smile as he put Aly’s plate back in front of her.

After everyone was finished eating, Blaine helped Kurt back to the couch. Aly climbed into her father’s lap the second Kurt sank into the couch. Blaine returned to the kitchen to clean up. When he was finished, he went into the living room to hear Kurt talking to Aly.

“Let’s get you dressed, Aly Cat.”

Kurt was attempting to get up when Blaine cleared his throat. Kurt turned to face him, a blush rising over his cheeks. He bit his lip, knowing he had been caught.

“What have I told you?” Blaine asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Not to get up without your help,” Kurt answered.

“Ah good, so you didn’t forget. I’ll get Aly dressed.”

Blaine followed Aly into her room. Kurt sighed. He wasn’t used to having someone else care for his daughter. He had been taking care of her alone her entire life, though his dad and Carole tried to help. Kurt usually turned them down graciously, saying she was his responsibility. He was jarred from his thoughts when Aly flew out of her room and into his arms. Blaine had dressed her in a pink shirt with yellow daisies and a pair of white cotton pants. Aly held out a pink hair clip to her father.

“I wan’ tis,” Aly told him.

Kurt took the hair clip from her as he asked his daughter, “What do you say?”

“Pwease,” Aly chimed.

Kurt smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead before turning her around. He pulled her hair back from her face, keeping it in place with the hair clip. Kurt lovingly ran a hand through her blonde hair.

“I’m weady fow daycawe,” Aly announced, turning back around to face her father.

“Daddy can’t take you today, princess. You’re going to stay home,” Kurt told her.

Aly frowned. “I wan’ to go to daycawe.”

“I can take her, Kurt,” Blaine spoke up.

“You don’t-”

“Have to, I know. But Aly wants to go and I want to take her.”

“I guess its okay. You’ll have to take my car though. That’s where her car seat is and it can be a pain to move. Let me just call her teacher and tell her you’ll be dropping her off and picking her up,” Kurt said.

“While you do that I’m going to go get dressed. Is it okay if I borrow some of your clothes? I didn’t go home before I came over yesterday,” Blaine asked.

“Sure. Look in my closet for a shirt and my dresser for jeans,” Kurt answered as he grabbed his cell phone off the coffee table. “There should be a spare toothbrush in my bathroom too. It’s the green one.”

Blaine disappeared into Kurt’s room. He looked through Kurt’s closet, frowning as he looked through the designer clothes. Finally he found a simple hunter green polo shirt. He pulled it over his head, turning to Kurt’s dresser. He frowned when he saw every pair of pants was skinny jeans. Without any other options, Blaine selected a pair of dark skinny jeans and slid them on with some difficultly. He entered Kurt’s bathroom, sighing in relief when he saw the spare toothbrush Kurt had mentioned. Blaine brushed his teeth meticulously. He went back into the living room, seeing Kurt was off the phone.

Kurt’s breath stuck in his throat when Blaine exited his bedroom. God did Blaine look good in Kurt’s clothes. They most definitely weren’t something Blaine would normally wear but with the way those skinny jeans were hugging Blaine’s ass Kurt couldn’t find it in him to care.

“Her teacher knows you’re coming,” Kurt said, swallowing past the lump that had formed in his throat. “You just need to find Aly some shoes and grab her bag before you leave.”

Blaine found a pair of Aly’s white tennis shoes by the door. He slipped them on her feet, fastening the Velcro. Her bag was hanging from a hook to the left of the door and he took it down. Aly gave her father a hug and a kiss before running to the door in excitement. Blaine pecked Kurt on the lips before following Aly out the door, calling out a “Goodbye” as he closed the door behind him.

**KAB**

Blaine had no problem dropping Aly off. She gave him a hug before running off to play with her friends. Aly’s teacher, Anna Wright, introduced herself and asked if he would be picking Aly up as well. Anna was fairly young. She had straight blonde hair and kind eyes. After a short conversation with Anna, Blaine waved at Aly before leaving.

Blaine stopped by his house to grab enough clothes for the week, as well as some other necessities. When Blaine arrived back at Kurt’s apartment, he found Kurt on the couch watching _Barefoot Contessa_. Kurt turned the TV off as Blaine plopped down onto the couch next to him. Blaine dropped the bag with his belongings to the side of the couch.

“How did it go? Was she any trouble?” Kurt asked.

“None at all,” Blaine answered with a smile.

“You’ve been so wonderful through all of this,” Kurt said, looking at Blaine with reverence. “I swear sometimes I wonder if you’re real.”

Blaine leaned in close to Kurt, until their lips were almost touching. He whispered, “I can assure you I’m very real,” before brushing his lips over Kurt’s. Kurt smiled against his lips, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. His tongue snaked out to brush against Blaine’s lips, begging for admittance. Blaine moaned as Kurt’s tongue tangled with his, bringing up a hand to run through Kurt’s hair.

Kurt lay back, pulling Blaine down on top of him. Blaine caught himself with his arms so he wouldn’t crush Kurt. He was careful to avoid touching Kurt’s hurt ankle as he parted Kurt’s legs with one of his own, putting his right leg on the other side of Kurt’s left. Blaine kissed his way to Kurt’s ear, nibbling on a spot just below his ear. Kurt whimpered, thrusting his hips upwards. Blaine groaned, crushing his mouth back to Kurt’s.

Kurt pulled back to whisper against Blaine’s lips, “I want you.”

“What?” Blaine asked in shock, pulling back to look into Kurt’s eyes.

“I want you,” Kurt repeated. “I want to make love with you.”

“Kurt, this is . . .” Blaine trailed off, unable to think straight when Kurt’s words were echoing through his head. _I want you_.

“Unexpected?” Kurt offered.

“Well, yes,” Blaine agreed. “I mean a month ago you were nervous to sleep in the same bed together, not that that’s a bad thing. I just . . . didn’t think you’d want to for a long time.”

Kurt smiled softly. “I know we’ve only been together for two months, but honestly it seems like I’ve just been waiting for you my entire life. I’ve never dated anyone before because of Aly and now I think that’s also because I knew in my heart of hearts that you were out there somewhere finding your way to me. I know that sounds incredibly cheesy but-”

Blaine shushed him with a kiss. “It doesn’t. I feel the same way.”

“Yeah?” Kurt asked with a smile.

“Yeah,” Blaine nodded.

They stared deep into each other’s eyes for a while until Kurt pulled Blaine back in for another kiss. Blaine kissed him back for a few seconds before pushing him back by his shoulders gently. He took a shuddering breath before he spoke, “Shouldn’t we talk about this?”

“Haven’t we talked enough,” Kurt asked with a groan, letting his head fall back against the arm of the couch.

“Kurt, you only get one first time. I don’t want you to regret it later,” Blaine said, thinking back to his first sexual experience. He wished now that he had waited until he met Kurt.

“I won’t regret a thing,” Kurt assured him. “I love you, Blaine.”

“You’re hurt,” Blaine reminded him.

“Only my ankle. All the necessities work,” Kurt said, causing Blaine to laugh.

“I love you so much,” Blaine said as he kissed Kurt passionately. When he pulled back he asked again, “Are you sure?”

“I’m ready to give myself to you,” Kurt told him, causing Blaine to groan before kissing Kurt once more.

Kurt’s hands disappeared underneath Blaine’s shirt, pulling it upwards. They stopped kissing long enough for Blaine to throw the shirt to the ground, crashing his lips back to Kurt’s. Kurt’s shirt soon joined Blaine’s. Blaine stood up abruptly, lifting Kurt easily into his arms. He carried Kurt into the bedroom, laying him down on the bed. Kurt pulled Blaine on top of him kissing him deeply.

“Make love to me,” Kurt whispered against Blaine’s lips.

As Blaine kissed his way down Kurt’s torso, Kurt knew this was the man he would spend the rest of his life with.

**KAB**

“Are you okay?” Blaine asked for the third time.

Kurt chuckled. “You can stop asking that, honey. I’m perfect.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just afraid that I hurt you.” Blaine tilted his head down to look at Kurt.

Kurt pressed a kiss to Blaine’s chest, lifting his head up slighting to see him. “This is one of the happiest moments of my life.”

“What’s the absolute happiest moment?” Blaine asked curiously.

“Aly’s birth,” Kurt answered without hesitation. “Seeing her for the first time. . . . It was incredible.”

“It must have been difficult raising her on your own,” Blaine said softly.

Blaine knew Kurt had lived with his parents up until a few months before they met. Carole had strictly worked night shifts until Kurt graduated so she could watch Aly during the day. After graduation, Kurt went to work with his father and enrolled Aly in daycare. Burt and Carole had been very supportive, but it must have stung that Aly didn’t have a mother around.

“It was hard,” Kurt said slowly. “When she took her first steps or said her first words, I wished I had someone to turn to and celebrate the moment with. After she learned to say ‘Dada’ I wanted her to learn ‘Mama.’ Instead I celebrated the moments with my parents and stepbrother and the second word she learned was ‘Mimi.’ The bullies at my school didn’t make it any easier, but one thought of Aly wiped away whatever pain the jocks may have caused.”

Kurt paused, moving off of Blaine’s chest to lie on his side. Blaine rolled onto his side, lying close enough to Kurt that their noses were almost touching.

“It was hard doing it alone, without Brittany,” Kurt said finally.

“You’re not alone anymore,” Blaine said softly. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

“I know,” Kurt replied before pressing a sweet kiss to Blaine’s lips.

**KAB**

Later that afternoon, Blaine pushed open the door to Aly’s classroom at daycare. Fifteen small heads turned to see who was entering the room. Aly’s face lit up when Blaine’s head peeked around from the side of the door.

“Bwaine!” Aly exclaimed. She ran to him, hugging him around his legs.

“Hey, Alygator!” Blaine said with a smile. He flipped Aly up into his arms, causing her to squeal with laughter.

“Are you ready to see Daddy?” Blaine asked as he grabbed Aly’s bag off the hook on the wall.

“Yes!” Aly said excitedly.

Blaine chuckled, lifting her bag up onto his shoulder. He waved goodbye to Aly’s teacher before carrying her out the door. Aly chattered about her day as Blaine strapped her into her car seat. She talked nonstop the entire ride to Kurt’s apartment. Blaine listened with a smile, asking questions every now and then to keep the child engaged.

Blaine set Aly down as he entered the apartment, closing the door behind him. He frowned when he noticed Kurt was nowhere to be seen. Blaine took a few steps down the hall towards Kurt’s room, calling out, “Kurt?”

“Oh thank god!” Kurt cried out. “I’m in my bathroom.”

“What’s wrong?” Blaine asked, entering Kurt’s bedroom and heading into the adjoining bathroom. “Can I come in?”

“You’re going to have to,” Kurt’s voice drifted out from the room.

Blaine pushed the door open, raising an eyebrow when he saw Kurt sitting in the bathtub. The water had been drained, but Kurt had yet to climb out of the tub.

“What’re you doing?” Blaine asked in confusion.

Kurt bit his lip before he answered, embarrassed. “I’m stuck.”

“What do you mean you’re stuck?”

“I can’t get out.”

“How long have you been in here?” Blaine asked, attempting to stifle his laughter.

“Since you left,” Kurt admitted sheepishly.

“This is what you get for not waiting for me to help,” Blaine said, moving to the side of the tub. He leaned over, slipping one arm under Kurt’s knees while the other snaked behind his back. “Here we go.”

Blaine carefully lifted Kurt out of the bathtub, carrying him into his bedroom. Kurt had been in the tub so long he was already dry, so Blaine set him on his bed. He grabbed a pair of clean pajamas for Kurt, handing them to him with a smile.

Kurt ignored him, tugging the gray T-shirt over his head. Blaine helped him slip into the navy pajama bottoms.

“Thank you,” Kurt said as he settled back onto the bed. He paused for a moment, hesitating to speak. “I have to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Blaine asked, sitting beside Kurt.

Kurt drew in a deep breath before he began. “I hate to ask, I wouldn’t even be asking if it weren’t for the fact that I can’t drive and I haven’t missed one since Aly was born-“

“Kurt, just ask me,” Blaine said with a soft smile.

“Fine. Every Friday Aly and I go to my dad’s house for Friday night dinner. It’s a tradition my mom started before she passed. This week, my stepbrother and his fiancé are coming home from New York. I completely understand if you don’t want to go, in fact, you can forget that I asked-“

“I’d be happy to take you.” Blaine stopped Kurt before he could say anything else.

“Really?” Kurt asked in a small voice.

“Of course. I’ve already met the rest of your family; it makes sense that I should meet your stepbrother as well.”

Kurt pressed a kiss to Blaine’s lips. Blaine deepened the kiss eagerly, brushing his tongue across Kurt’s lips. Kurt opened his mouth, groaning as their tongues danced together. Remembering Aly was in the next room, Kurt reluctantly pulled away with a sigh.

“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

“As a matter of fact, you have. But I never tire of hearing it,” Blaine replied with a loving smile.

“I love you so much,” Kurt told him.

“I love you too.”

Blaine pulled Kurt into his arms, brushing his lips against Kurt’s forehead. Kurt sighed happily. He had thought a sprained ankle would be highly inconvenient, but on the contrary, this was the best week Kurt had had in a long while.


	6. Chapter 6:  Is Blaine My Papa?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter! It’s one of my favorites so far!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: none
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

 

Chapter Six:  Is Blaine My Papa?

Friday June 13, 2014

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Kurt asked, not looking at Blaine. He was staring at the front door of the Hudmel house. Inside Burt, Carole, Finn, Rachel, and Leroy and Hiram Berry were waiting for them.

“I’m positive,” Blaine assured him, reaching over the console to take Kurt’s hand in his. “Remember, I’ve already met your dad.”

“That was before we were dating,” Kurt reminded him, glancing in his direction.

"True, but he _was_ the one who convinced you to go to dinner with me in the first place,” Blaine pointed out.

“Which was very out of character for him,” Kurt informed him. “Dad’s very . . . protective of me. Don’t be surprised if he’s changed his tune.”

“Well, we’ll never know until we go in,” Blaine said, squeezing Kurt’s hand gently.

“I wan’ to get out!” Aly exclaimed from her car seat.

Kurt turned around in his seat to see his daughter pulling on the buckle of her car seat. He reached back, popping her on the hand.

“Alexandra Elizabeth, you know not to touch that!” Kurt scolded her. He never let her touch the buckle of her car seat because he was afraid she would learn how to let herself out, and would do so while he was driving.

Aly pouted but didn’t say anything. Blaine killed the engine, coming around to the passenger side to help Kurt out. Once Kurt was standing, supported by his crutches, Blaine let Aly out of her car seat. Aly scrambled out of her seat, standing on the backseat. She reached her little arms out towards Blaine, who swung her up onto his hip.

“Come on, love,” Blaine said to Kurt. He put his free hand on the small of Kurt’s back, guiding him up the driveway to the front door.

Kurt took a deep breath when he stepped up to the door. He reached out one hand to turn the doorknob but Blaine beat him to it. The door swung open and Blaine waited for Kurt to enter first. Kurt made his way through the door, smiling when he saw Finn sitting on the couch with the rest of their family, as well as Rachel’s dads.

“Ukle Finn!” Aly squealed from Blaine’s arms. She pushed on Blaine’s chest, who put her down. Aly ran across the room and into her uncle’s arms.

“Hey, Squirt!” Finn used the nickname he had given Aly shortly after her birth. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too!” Aly said.

“I’m sorry we’re late. It’s not easy for me to get around right now,” Kurt said as he awkwardly maneuvered himself towards one of the armchairs.

“It’s all right, son. I’m glad you could make it. It’s good to see you again, Blaine,” Burt said, standing up to offer Blaine his hand.

“It’s good to see you too, sir,” Blaine said, shaking Burt’s hand.

“Please, call me Burt,” he said as he sat back down.

“Everyone, this is my boyfriend Blaine. Blaine, this is my stepbrother Finn and his fiancé Rachel, and this is Hiram and Leroy, Rachel’s dads.” Kurt handled the introductions, gesturing to everyone in turn.

“It’s great to meet all of you,” Blaine said with a dapper grin.

“Dinner’s ready,” Carole announced, stepping out of the kitchen. She brightened when she saw Blaine, moving to hug him. “Blaine, I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Thanks for having me, Mrs. Hummel,” Blaine said, returning her embrace.

“Carole,” she corrected him. “Now, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Everyone filed into the kitchen, Blaine helping Kurt to his feet. He lifted Aly up into the chair to Kurt’s left, taking the seat to Kurt’s right for himself. Kurt fixed Aly’s plate before making one for himself.

“Would you like a roll, Papa?” Rachel asked Hiram.

“Thank you, sweetie,” Hiram said, taking one of the offered rolls.

“Would you like one, Daddy?” Rachel said, turning to Leroy.

“Do you even have to ask?” Leroy asked with a laugh. He took one of the rolls. Rachel set the plate back down.

“Aunt Washey?” Aly spoke up, trying to pronounce Rachel’s name.

“Yes, Aly?” Rachel said, turning to the toddler with a smile.

“Why do you caw him Papa and him Daddy?” Aly asked, pointing to Hiram and Leroy in turn.

Rachel’s eyes snapped to Kurt, who had frozen in place the second the question left his daughter’s mouth. He had not been expecting this at all. Kurt wasn’t ready for this. Not knowing how to answer, he looked to Hiram and Leroy for guidance. Leroy nodded encouragingly and Kurt drew in a deep breath before he began.

“Aly, remember how I told you that sometimes two boys fall in love instead of a boy and a girl?” Kurt asked slowly.

“Wike you and Bwaine?” Aly asked.

“Yes, like me and Blaine,” Kurt confirmed.

“I ‘member,” Aly told her father.

“Well, when they fall in love, they get married and have babies. So instead of having a mommy and a daddy, Aunt Rachel has two daddies,” Kurt explained patiently.

“Instead of having a mommy and a daddy, Aunt Rachel has a daddy and a papa,” Leroy added. Kurt smiled at the man, thankful for his help.

“Aunt Wachey’s Papa and Daddy aw in wuv?” Aly asked. “Wike Daddy and Bwaine?”

“Yes, we’re in love like your daddy and Blaine,” Hiram said, reaching over to take Leroy’s hand.

Aly didn’t speak, her face scrunching up as she thought before asking her next question.

“Is Bwaine my papa?”

Kurt gaped at his daughter, looking frantically to Hiram and Leroy for assistance. Of course, he hoped Aly would one day call Blaine Papa, but he hadn’t expected it so soon.

“You should only call Blaine your papa if you love him as another daddy,” Leroy answered.

Aly thought about this for a second before nodding. “Okay,” she said, picking her fork back up to spear some macaroni and cheese.

Kurt sighed in relief, turning to look at Blaine, who gazed back with wide eyes. Thankfully, Rachel started talking about life in New York and Kurt was spared from saying anything else on the subject. Dinner quickly lost all awkwardness. When everyone had eaten their fill, Blaine and Rachel insisted on cleaning up. Finn helped Kurt into the living room where he collapsed in one of the armchairs. Aly went to the corner of the living room where her toys were kept and began to color. Looking at his daughter, Kurt remembered the night Brittany had shown up on his doorstep. His anxiety must have shown on his face because Carole was suddenly by his side.

“Are you okay, sweetie?”

Kurt shook his head, looking up to see all eyes on him. “Brittany wants to see Aly.”

“Wait, what?” Finn asked. “I thought she was in Kentucky with Santana.”

“She was. Santana graduated and they just moved back. She showed up at my apartment Monday night,” Kurt said.

“What did you say?” Rachel asked as she entered the room, having overheard the conversation.

“I told her I’d have to think about it,” Kurt answered with a sigh. “What if Aly wants to see her?”

“Have you talked to Aly about it?” Carole asked gently.

“Not yet. I know I have to but I can’t bring myself to do it,” Kurt admitted. He turned to Hiram and Leroy. “What would you have done if Shelby tried to see Rachel before she was in high school?”

Leroy sighed. “We had a written agreement that Shelby would not contact Rachel. If Rachel wanted to see her, she could after she was eighteen.”

“What does Aly know about her mother?” Hiram asked.

“She knows Brittany was young when she was born, and she wasn’t ready to be a mother. She hasn’t really asked about her,” Kurt told them.

“Why do you even have to ask Aly about it? She’s three-years-old; can’t you decide for her?” Finn asked.

“If Aly wants to see Brittany I’m not going to stop her, Finn. I know how hard it is to grow up without a mother. I _never_ wanted the same for Aly.”

“It sounds to me like Aly’s getting the chance you never had,” Burt finally spoke up.

Before Kurt could reply, Aly was climbing into his lap. She rubbed her eyes with her small fists before saying sleepily, “I’m sweepy.”

“We’ll go home soon, princess,” Kurt told her, running a hand through her golden locks.

“’Kay,” Aly murmured, snuggling deeper into her father’s arms. She fell asleep instantly. Kurt suppressed a chuckle, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He looked up to see his father watching him.

“I just want her to be happy,” Kurt said softly, so not to wake his sleeping daughter.

“Oh, Kurt, she _is_ happy,” Carole told him with a small smile.

“I just . . .” Kurt trailed off, not sure of what he was about to say. He bit back his tears, turning to face Rachel. He hesitated before asking, “What do you think?”

Rachel opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before trying again.

“I grew up without a mother, Kurt. We have that in common. But I still had two parents. I never even wondered about my mother until Shelby showed up during our sophomore year,” Rachel paused. “Aly doesn’t have two parents. Not yet at least,” Rachel glanced at Blaine. “I don’t know what it’s like to grow up with one parent, but you do. In the end, it’s up to you whether you want Aly to have a relationship with Brittany or not. But I think you _should_ ask Aly what she wants. She may only be three-years-old but she’s an insightful little girl. She always has been.”

Kurt nodded, pondering what everyone had said. He knew he had to talk to Aly, and in the end, whatever she wanted, Kurt would go along with. Kurt cleared his throat before he spoke, “We should get Aly home. It’s already past her bedtime.”

Blaine took Aly from her father, cradling her in his arms. Finn moved to help Kurt up, holding onto him until he had regained his balance with the help of the crutches.

“Thank you, everyone,” Kurt said with a smile.

Burt, Carole, and Rachel hugged him in turn while Hiram and Leroy shook his hand. Blaine was surprised that he received the same treatment even though he had only met Burt once before, and had never met Rachel or her fathers at all. Finn helped them out to the car and got Kurt settled in the passenger seat. He hugged Kurt before turning to Blaine and Aly. He kissed Aly softly, careful not to wake her, before Blaine deposited her in her car seat.

“It was nice to meet you, Blaine,” Finn said, thrusting out one hand.

Blaine smiled before taking Finn’s hand. “You too, Finn.”

Finn bid them goodbye, heading back into the house. Kurt was quiet on the ride home, his mind whirling by both of the heavy conversations that had taken place that night. Blaine didn’t press him for conversation, leaving Kurt alone with his thoughts. The second they reached Kurt’s apartment complex, Kurt knew something was off. The door downstairs only opened when the correct passcode was entered, or someone unlocked it from their apartment. So it was a shock when Kurt saw the door had been forced open.

“Something’s not right,” Kurt said.

He was out of the car, without his crutches, before Blaine could stop him. Kurt unbuckled Aly from her car seat, pulling her into his arms. Blaine was already halfway across the parking lot. Nothing could have prepared Blaine for the sight that greeted him when he reached the landing to Kurt’s apartment. The word ‘fag’ had been spray painted across the open door in angry red letters. Inside, the apartment had been ransacked.

“Oh my god,” Kurt gasped in horror.

“Daddy, what’s wong?” Aly asked, lifting her head from her father’s chest.

Kurt was unable to answer her, still trying to process what he was seeing. Blaine turned to Kurt, raising one hand to hold him off.

“Stay here,” Blaine said before disappearing into the apartment.


	7. Chapter 7:  Fate Stepped In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don’t want to ruin things for anyone, but I hope this provides you with enough fluff after Thursday night’s episode. I’m not going to talk about it here because I don’t want to ruin it for those who don’t live in the US and aren’t able to watch the new episodes, but if you want to talk about it feel free to PM me.
> 
> Things are starting to get crazy again for me. Due to midterms and a family vacation, I will not be updating from the 15th to the 28th. If, by some miracle, I do manage to write anything with all of the craziness, I will do my best to post it. But I can’t make any promises and I will be very surprised if anything gets written during that time. And, speaking of midterms, good luck to everyone who has testing coming up!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: none
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Seven:  Fate Stepped In

Friday June 13, 2014

“Thank you, officers,” Blaine said, shutting the door behind the policemen after they left. He turned back to the couch with a heavy sigh.

“Daddy, I’m scawed,” Aly said.

Kurt bit his lip, looking up at Blaine with sorrowful eyes. Aly had been repeating that over the last two hours. He had failed as a father. He had failed to keep his daughter safe. Returning home to find his ransacked apartment had terrified him. Blaine had immediately called the police, who interviewed them both as well as collecting evidence. All of Kurt’s electronics were gone:  the TV, DVD player, iPod and iHome were missing. Thankfully, the jewelry that had once belonged to his mother had been locked in the safe hidden by a secret compartment in his closet.

“We can’t stay here,” Kurt said, cupping the back of Aly’s head with his hand. Aly was no longer safe here. Kurt had failed to protect her once; he would not let it happen again.

“I know,” Blaine said softly. “We can go to my house.”

“I don’t want to put you out,” Kurt answered with a blush.

"That’s not what I meant,” Blaine said, sitting beside Kurt on the couch. “I want you to move in.”

Kurt sucked in a surprised breath. He had not been expecting this. Yes, they had taken their relationship to the next level only three days ago, but never in his wildest dreams did he think Blaine would be asking him to move in. Not when they’d only been together for two months and Aly had scarcely been in Blaine’s presence prior to that week.

"I don’t know,” Kurt said hesitantly.

“You can’t stay here, Kurt. And I own my house so you wouldn’t have to pay rent.” Blaine took Kurt’s hand in his, squeezing it lightly.

“Have you ever lived with a child before?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s a big commitment, Blaine, especially when Aly’s not your child.”

“I know,” Blaine replied seriously. “But I want this. I know we’ve only been together for two months, but I want us to be a family. I know it’s too soon now; I haven’t spent much time around Aly. But I know I want to be with you _and_ her. This isn’t just some fling for me, Kurt. I love you. I love you both. So, please, will you do me the honor of moving in with me?”

“Yes,” Kurt breathed, surprised by Blaine’s speech.

Blaine smiled widely, leaning over to brush his lips against Kurt’s. He had not planned to ask Kurt to move in with him so soon, but after tonight he knew this was meant to be. It was like fate had stepped in and shown him it was time for them to take that one step closer to being a real family, even if they had been together for such a short amount of time. Blaine loved Kurt and he loved Aly, and he would do anything to keep them happy and safe.

“I’ll pack an overnight bag for Aly while you pack yours,” Blaine offered. “We can come back to get whatever you want to bring to my place tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. Don’t forget Crystal or we’ll never get Aly to sleep. And grab the baby monitor too,” Kurt replied as Blaine stood up and headed down the hall to Aly’s bedroom. His heart fluttered at the pronoun usage. He could say ‘we’ now instead of ‘I’ when it referred to caring for Aly. He had never been able to do that before, at least not properly. Not in a way that wasn’t with his dad or Carole or Finn. With that thought, Kurt carried Aly through the hallway and into his bedroom. He deposited Aly on his bed, going into his closet to find his suitcase.

“Whewe aw we going, Daddy?” Aly asked when Kurt walked back to the bed and lifted his Rimowa Limbo suitcase onto it.

“We’re going to live with Blaine now,” Kurt explained patiently as he unzipped his suitcase.

“Foeber?” Aly asked with her bright cerulean eyes trained on her father. Kurt smiled at her pronunciation of ‘forever.’

“I hope so,” Kurt answered honestly, sitting next to Aly. He opened his arms to her as he said, “Come here.”

Aly eagerly climbed onto his lap. Kurt would be lying if he said he didn’t have his reservations about moving in with Blaine. He was worried Blaine would not be able to handle the responsibility that came with living with a child. Kurt’s greatest fear was Aly would grow attached to Blaine, only to have him change his mind.

Blaine walked out of Aly’s room carrying her pink overnight bag. He’d packed quickly, knowing they would return for the rest of her things the next morning. Blaine was about to step into Kurt’s room to see if he was ready, but stopped when he heard Kurt speaking to Aly. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but Kurt’s voice saying his name caught his attention.

“Do you want to live with Blaine?” Kurt asked. “If you don’t, we’ll go stay with Gramps and Mimi.”

“I wike Bwaine,” Aly answered as if that settled the matter.

“I like him too,” Kurt said with a fond smile.

Blaine didn’t hear anything else from Kurt so he walked into the room. Kurt looked up, smiling when he saw him. He lifted Aly off of his lap, setting her on the bed.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t even started packing yet,” Kurt said with a blush.

“Don’t apologize. Take as much time as you need,” Blaine said, pressing a kiss to Kurt’s cheek as he passed him. He joined Aly on the bed, smiling when the girl crawled onto his lap.

Kurt watched them with a soft smile, glad that Aly had accepted Blaine, even if she wasn’t quite sure what that meant just yet. He turned away from them, looking through his closet for something acceptable to wear the next day. When he was satisfied with his outfit, he grabbed a pair of pajama pants for the night, folding the articles of clothing carefully and putting them in his suitcase. Kurt went into his bathroom, pulling out his Rimowa Limbo beauty case. He put all of his moisturizing creams and other necessities in the box. Returning to the bedroom, he was finally satisfied that he had everything he needed.

“I’m ready,” Kurt announced.

Aly jumped off of Blaine’s lap and ran to her father. Kurt lifted her up onto his hip, pressing a kiss to her golden hair. Blaine slung Aly’s overnight bag over his shoulder before lifting Kurt’s suitcase.

“You don’t have to carry that,” Kurt started to protest.

“I know, but you have Aly. She’s precious cargo,” Blaine said, reaching out with his free hand to tickle Aly’s side. Aly squealed, snuggling deeper into her father’s chest as she tried to escape.

Kurt bit his lip to keep his tears at bay. Ever since Aly’s birth, Kurt had known his life would be different from what he had planned. He hadn’t been able to move to New York or attend college. Instead, he settled for working at his father’s garage. Kurt had never expected to meet someone who was understanding of his unique situation as a father. He had never expected anyone would love his daughter. But Blaine did. He was constantly surprising Kurt, and Kurt couldn’t wait to see what other surprises lay in store for him and Aly.

He led the way to the parking lot, pausing at the sight of both his Navigator and Blaine’s Mercedes Benz. Blaine didn’t notice the dilemma and was already putting Kurt and Aly’s luggage in the back of the Navigator. Kurt lifted his beauty case into the trunk, turning to Blaine after he closed the door.

“What about your car?” Kurt asked with a slight tilt of his head.

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” Blaine said with a thoughtful expression. “Well, I’ll just get it tomorrow when we move you in. We’ll need it for all of your stuff anyway.”

Kurt couldn’t find any fault in the plan so he nodded before strapping Aly into her car seat. He opened the passenger door, moving his crutches out of the way before he slid into the seat. Blaine climbed behind the wheel beside him.

“Oh, crap, your crutches!” Blaine exclaimed, looking at Kurt with wide eyes.

“What about them?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow. He glanced over the crutches and didn’t find anything wrong with them.

“You’ve been walking around without them for the past few hours,” Blaine said seriously.

Kurt stifled a laugh. “Blaine, it’s been four days. I’m fine; it doesn’t even hurt to walk on it.”

“That doesn’t matter. The doctor said a week-”

“Blaine, I have more important things to worry about right now than a sprained ankle. Please, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Either that or I’m still running off of adrenaline,” Kurt joked. Blaine couldn’t hide a soft chuckle.

“You’re using them again as soon as we get home,” Blaine informed him.

Kurt’s heart skipped a beat at the word ‘home.’ He had a home now with Blaine. He smiled as he replied, “We’ll see about that.”

Blaine lived on the other side of Lima, about two miles away from Burt’s house. Kurt spent the ride glancing at Aly in the backseat, who had fallen asleep not long after Kurt had buckled her in. His head snapped the front when Blaine pulled into the driveway of a brick one-story ranch house. Blaine maneuvered the Navigator into the left side of the two-car garage. The two halves of the garage were separated by a square column. Directly in front of the Navigator was a set of stairs that curved into the corner of the garage, leading up to the door of the house. Before the stairs began, there was a closed door to the left which Kurt assumed was used for storage.

“Here we are,” Blaine announced, shifting the car into park.

They climbed out of the car. Blaine slung Aly’s bag over his shoulder before grabbing Kurt’s suitcase in one hand and his beauty case in the other. This time, Kurt didn’t protest. Instead, he unbuckled Aly from her car seat and lifted her into his arms. He smiled when she didn’t wake, but nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. Blaine led the way up the stairs to the door. He pulled his keys out of his pocket, selecting the right one before inserting it into the lock. Blaine pushed the door open, waiting until Kurt had crossed the threshold to close it behind them. With the door closed, they were plunged into darkness, the only sound the beep of the house alarm.

“Wait here,” Blaine instructed as he disappeared down the darkened hallway. The alarm was turned off and a second later light flooded the hallway. Blaine reappeared at his side. “Do you want to put Aly down and then I can give you the grand tour?”

Kurt nodded his approval. Blaine led him down the hallway, past two closed doors on the left and one on the right. At the end of the hallway was a sliding door. To the left was a wall opening which revealed a laundry room with a door opening onto a screened-in back porch. Blaine turned right, leading Kurt into the kitchen. This area of the house was open, with the kitchen opening into the living room on the left and the dining area on the right. Behind the dining area was another wall hiding the front entrance, and just past that was another hallway. Blaine headed down this hallway. On the left were two doors:  one closed and one opened. Another closed door was on the right and the hallway ended into yet another. Glancing into the open door, Kurt saw this room was the master bedroom. Blaine opened the door at the end of the hallway, ushering Kurt in.

Blaine reached to the right, flicking the light switch. Kurt’s eyes swept the room. Furniture was scarce, but he doubted Blaine had reason to use this room often. There was a closet with a sliding door beside the room door. There were three windows:  two in the right wall and one in the far wall. In the far right corner of the room a twin bed had been pushed against the wall. A dresser was against the left wall.

“It’s not much,” Blaine said with his eyes glued to Kurt’s face, watching his reaction. “We’ll bring Aly’s furniture tomorrow.”

“It’s perfect, Blaine,” Kurt assured him. He walked over to the bed. Blaine pulled the brown comforter down to reveal green sheets. Kurt gently lay Aly down, tucking the covers around her. He swept her blonde locks back, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He whispered, “I love you, baby girl.”

Blaine smiled as Kurt turned towards him, reaching for his hand. He led Kurt from the room, closing the door behind them.

“How about that tour?” Blaine asked.

“It can wait until tomorrow,” Kurt responded with a yawn. “I need to call my dad before he hears what happened from someone else.”

Blaine stepped into his bedroom, turning on the lights. He tugged on Kurt’s hand until he followed him.

“You can call him in here. I’ll go get your bags.” Blaine brushed their lips together before disappearing back down the hall.

Kurt watched him go with a smile. He had definitely not expected this anytime soon. Returning from dinner to find his home had been broken into was terrifying. But at least some good had come from it.


	8. Author's Note

Author’s Note

Hey, guys. Unfortunately, with the craziness of studying for midterms I did not get a chapter written this week. I did manage to write some, but its far from finished. As I said before, midterms start next week and they will last for two weeks and this coming weekend I will be on a family vacation. If my some miracle I get the chapter finished, I will post it as soon as possible. But I am not confident that anything will get written. As always, school must come first. If I do get some time, I’ll try to write but I make no promises. So, until next time.

Always,

Rhiannon


	9. Chapter 8:  A New Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, obviously I managed to get a chapter written. I don’t know what will happen next week as I have two midterms and an essay. Most likely, there will not be an update. This shouldn’t last for much longer. Next week is my last week of midterms, thank the Lord. I hope things will return to normal after that. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: sexual situations
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Eight:  A New Home

Friday June 13, 2014

After Blaine had disappeared down the hall towards the kitchen, Kurt entered the master bedroom. He found the light switch by the door, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. To be a bachelor, Blaine kept a surprisingly tidy house. Not a thing was out of place. Across from the doorway there was a chaise lounge under a window that looked out onto the backyard. A long dresser was to the right, ending just before another window. A corner bookcase was filled to the brim with books. Two doors led out of the room on the right, and one other on the left. A queen size bed was pushed against the wall to the right of the doorway. Kurt sat on the bed, pulling out his phone. With a heavy sigh, he dialed his father’s phone number.

“Hey, kiddo, what’s going on?” Burt answered.

“I have bad news,” Kurt said.

“What happened? Are you okay? Is Aly?” Burt demanded.

“We’re fine. Everyone is fine,” Kurt assured his father. “My apartment was broken into while we were at dinner tonight.”

“What?! Where are you now,” Burt exclaimed.

“We’re at Blaine’s,” Kurt told him.

“Where does he live? I’ll come get you.”

"No, Dad. You don’t understand. We’re living with Blaine now. He asked us to move in with him.” Kurt bit his lip, waiting for the yelling to begin.

“Wait, what? What do you mean you’re living with him? You’ve known him what – two months?”

“Almost three months, Dad. We’ve been dating for two,” Kurt replied in exasperation.

“Exactly, I mean, how well do you really know this guy?” Burt asked. Kurt heard the refrigerator door open and the clink of a bottle as Burt grabbed a beer.

“Dad, you were the one who pushed me to go on a date with him in the first place,” Kurt reminded him. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

“I told you to go on _one_ date, not to move in with him two months later!” Burt cried.

“I don’t have much of a choice here, Dad! I didn’t ask for my apartment to get burglarized!”

“You could move back home!”

“I’m twenty-one, Dad, I’m not moving back in with my parents. And I love Blaine. So whether you like it or not I’m moving in with him,” Kurt said stubbornly.

“Are you even thinking about your daughter?” Burt asked harshly.

“How can you even ask that, Dad? Of course I’m thinking about Aly. She’s my first priority and you know that. And you know I was going to ask if you could watch her tomorrow while Blaine and I pack our things but never mind. I’ll find someone else.”

“Wait, Kurt-”

“No, Dad. How can you seriously think I’m not considering Aly? _Everything_ comes second to _her_ safety and _her_ happiness. Do you really think that I’m so selfish that I would move in with Blaine and not consider my daughter?” Kurt asked, fighting back tears.

“I know you would do anything for Aly-”

“Then why would you even ask me such a thing?” Kurt demanded.

“Look, Kurt, it’s late. Why don’t you bring Aly over tomorrow and we’ll talk then?” Burt suggested with a heavy sigh.

“Fine,” Kurt agreed, knowing this conversation was far from over.

“I love you, son.”

“I love you too,” Kurt answered before hanging up. He took a moment to collect himself before calling Finn and Rachel to see if they would help with the move the next day. The couple readily agreed and by the time Kurt was bidding his stepbrother goodnight, Blaine had returned with Kurt’s bags.

“Everything okay?” Blaine asked, depositing Kurt’s bags by the door while kicking it shut.

“I don’t know,” Kurt answered honestly. “Dad took things about as well as expected, but he did agree to watch Aly for me tomorrow. And Finn and Rachel are going to help us move my things.”

“So your dad was upset?”

“He’ll get over it,” Kurt said, taking Blaine’s hand to pull him forward until he was standing in between Kurt’s legs. “I don’t want to think about him right now. I don’t want to think about anything. I just want to forget.”

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine’s neck, kissing him deeply. Blaine allowed Kurt to open his mouth, their tongues meeting in a dance. As Blaine pushed him gently back down on the bed, Kurt knew he had made the right decision. For himself, and for his daughter.

**KAB**

Saturday June 14, 2014

Blaine woke to an empty bed on Saturday morning. The sheets were still warm, which told him Kurt had not been gone long. Blaine rolled out of bed, stretching out his sleepy muscles. He pulled on a pair of pajamas and left the room, wondering where Kurt had wandered to. The living room and the kitchen were both empty, though a fresh pot of coffee told him Kurt had been there. Smiling to himself, Blaine poured himself a cup. Turning around to lean against the counter as he took a sip, he noticed the door to the back porch was open. Blaine set his coffee on the counter, walking to the back porch.

Kurt was standing across from one of the two rocking chairs that were against the wall of the house. Blaine was surprised to see Kurt was actually using his crutches. He came up behind Kurt. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, resting his cheek against his shoulder.

“Good morning,” Kurt greeted him, laying his arms over Blaine’s.

“Morning,” Blaine returned. “I woke up and you weren’t there.”

“I’m not used to sleeping in. Aly rarely lets me sleep past seven-thirty,” Kurt told him. After a pause, Kurt asked, “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Blaine turned Kurt around to face him. He cupped his cheek in one hand, smiling when Kurt leaned his face into his touch.

“You wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t,” Blaine told him before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. Kurt sighed happily before pulling back.

“We should get breakfast started if we want to get an early start,” Kurt murmured.

“French toast?” Blaine asked.

“That sounds wonderful,” Kurt said. They walked back into the house hand-in-hand.

Blaine was just pulling eggs, milk, and vanilla extract out of the refrigerator when Aly’s voice rang out from down the hall.

“Daddy!”

“I’m being summoned,” Kurt said with a grin, leaving Blaine to attend to his daughter.

By the time Kurt returned with Aly in tow, both dressed and ready for the day, breakfast was ready. Sitting down at his kitchen table with Kurt and Aly, Blaine felt his heart was sure to bust from the overwhelming emotions of love and happiness. When they had all eaten their fill, Kurt cleaned the kitchen while Blaine changed out of his pajamas. Kurt wasn’t ready to face his father after their argument the night before, but before he even had time to prepare himself for the coming conversation, he was pushing open the door to his father’s house.

“Gramps!” Aly cried, running headlong into Burt’s legs the second they stepped into the living room. Burt smiled fondly at his granddaughter, swinging her up into the air.

“How’s my sweet girl?” Burt asked, pressing a kiss to her golden hair.

“Good. Daddy said I can ‘tay the whole day wit you!” Aly said excitedly.

“That’s right, Peanut.” Burt looked up at Kurt, his eyes hardening slightly when he caught sight of Blaine at his side. Burt turned to face his stepson, “Finn, I’m sure Rachel will want to see Aly again. Why don’t you take her into the kitchen?”

“Um, sure,” Finn said, confusion clear on his face. Kurt was thankful that he had enough sense to not ask questions. He took his niece from his stepfather, disappearing into the kitchen.

Burt cleared his throat, looking pointedly at Blaine. “I’d like a moment alone with my son.”

Blaine’s eyes flew to Kurt, unsure of what to do. Kurt grasped his hand. “It’s okay, honey. Why don’t you go help yourself to some coffee? Finn can show you where everything is.”

“Okay,” Blaine said after a second. He squeezed Kurt’s hand before leaving the room.

“I don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind?” Burt asked, collapsing into his favorite armchair.

"Nope. I don’t suppose your opinion has changed either?” Kurt countered, plopping down on the couch, facing his father.

Burt sighed unhappily. “I just worry about you, Kurt, you and Aly. I want what’s best for you and moving in with a guy you barely know is not a good idea.”

“What do you mean I barely know Blaine? We’ve been dating for two months, Dad. I’m in love with him. He loves me and he loves Aly. Nothing you say is going to change that so I would appreciate it if you would just support me and my decision about what’s best for me and my daughter.”

Burt was silent for a long time. He stared at his hands, clasped in front of him. Finally, he lifted his head and looked his son in the eyes. “You’re right. This is your decision. Aly is your daughter. You have to decide what’s best for the both of you. I can’t make those decisions for you. But I swear to God if Blaine hurts either of you-”

“You can get out your shotgun,” Kurt said with a slight smile. “Thank you, Dad.”

Burt got to his feet, pulling Kurt in for a bear hug. “I love you, son.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

“Everything okay in here?” Rachel asked, poking her head out from the kitchen.

“Everything’s fine,” Burt answered, keeping an arm wrapped around Kurt’s shoulders. “But you kids better get going if you want to get everything moved in one day.”

Kurt kissed Aly goodbye, telling her to be good for grandpa. After bidding his father goodbye, the foursome separated into Kurt’s Navigator and Finn’s truck. Kurt had a good feeling as they pulled out of the driveway. His father was finally starting to see him as a man and not his little boy.

**KAB**

Finn, Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine spent the entire day packing up and moving Kurt’s things to Blaine’s house. Kurt was able to get out of his lease due to the break-in, and he was glad that was one less thing he had to worry about. It was weird, seeing his things mixed with Blaine’s, but he loved it. Kurt walked out of the master bathroom, smiling when he saw Blaine was sitting up in bed, rereading _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_. Kurt slid into bed next to him, wrapping his arms around his waist and laying his head on Blaine’s shoulder.

With a smile, Blaine marked his place in his book and set it aside. His arms came up around Kurt, holding him close. Both men were exhausted. After they were finished with the move, they had gotten Aly from Burt. And like all three-year-olds, she was filled with boundless energy. Now that she was in bed, they could finally relax.

Neither men spoke, but words weren’t needed. Kurt leaned up, pressing a kiss to Blaine’s lips before rolling onto his side. Blaine moved up behind him, until they were chest-to-back. He draped one arm over Kurt’s waist, finding his hand and lacing their fingers together. He moved their hands to rest over Kurt’s heart. Kurt sighed happily, allowing himself to fall into a deep slumber.

His life had taken an unexpected turn over the past three months, but Kurt had never been so happy in his life. He had his daughter and the love of his life. They had a new home, together. It was more than Kurt could ever have hoped for.


	10. Chapter 9:  Never Had a Mommy Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m sorry this chapter is late. I have written 2 papers and taken 2 midterms, not counting the midterm I took the week before that. If you don’t hear from me for a while, it’s because I have died of exhaustion, just kidding . . . hopefully. This chapter is short, but sweet. I’ll try to make the next one longer.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: none
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Nine:  Never Had a Mommy Before

Monday July 14, 2014

When Kurt was young, time passed by slowly. The weekdays would drag on until it was finally Friday. The year would crawl by until Christmas came. That changed with Aly’s birth. Now time passed in the blink of an eye. It seemed like yesterday when the nurse was wrapping Aly in a blanket and putting her in his arms when it reality it had been three years. That is how a month came to pass since Kurt and Aly moved in with Blaine.

Kurt was bent over the engine of a Toyota Corolla, humming to himself while he worked. He was so focused on his work that he didn’t hear the bell sound signaling someone had entered the shop.

“Porcelain!”

Kurt jumped, hitting his head on the hood of the car.

“Shit!” he exclaimed, backing away from the car while holding his head with one hand. He looked down at his visitor in astonishment. “Santana, what the hell are you doing here?”

“I’ll tell you what I’m doing here. Do you get your rocks off making angels cry or is there another reason Brittany is so upset?” Santana Lopez demanded. The Latina had clearly not lost her attitude in the past two years.

Santana had not changed much since their high school days. Her ebony hair hung down to just below her shoulder and her brown eyes were just as intense as when Kurt had first met her. She stood with her arms crossed and one hip cocked. No, not even the stress of being head cheerleader at the University of Louisville while taking an accelerated path to her bachelor’s degree in physical education had changed Santana.

“What are you talking about, Satan?” Kurt quipped, raising an eyebrow.

“You told Brittany you would ask Aly if she wanted to see her,” Santana reminded him, poking him in the chest with one finger.

“Oh,” Kurt said softly, taking a step back to put distance between them. “I forgot.”

"You forgot? How the hell did you forget something like that?” Santana exploded, throwing her hands in the air.

“My apartment got broken into a few days after Brit came by,” Kurt told her. “Everything got pushed out of my mind.”

“Oh my God, is Aly okay?” Santana asked, her face softening.

“Of course she’s okay. Don’t you think I would have called Brittany if she wasn’t?” Kurt asked, rolling his eyes.

“So you’ll call her if Aly is hurt but if she wants to see her child-”

“ _My_ child,” Kurt cut her off, putting one hand on his chest. “Aly is _my_ daughter.”

“ _And_ Brittany’s. It takes two, Kurt,” Santana replied.

“Brittany is Aly’s mother, but she is _not_ her parent. She gave birth to her and then signed her rights away. Showing up three years later doesn’t make her a parent. It takes a hell of a lot more than that to be a parent, Santana,” Kurt said.

“Then why did you give Brittany false hope?” Santana asked viciously.

“I didn’t,” Kurt replied with a sigh. “If Aly wants to see Brittany, I’m not going to stop her. But Brittany doesn’t have _a right_ to see Aly. If Aly says no then that’s it. I’m only going to ask her once.”

“But you _are_ going to ask her?”

“Of course I am. I’m not going to keep Aly from her mother, not if she wants to see her. Is that all? I have to get back to work.”

“Fine. This is where we’re living now,” Santana said, reaching into her pocket and giving Kurt a piece of paper with an address written on it.

“I’ll call Brittany _after_ I’ve talked with Aly,” Kurt said, taking the paper from her.

Santana nodded brusquely before striding out of the garage. Kurt sighed. He _had_ intended on speaking to Aly but the break-in had wiped the entire thing completely out of his mind. And now he couldn’t wait to ask her, not when not knowing was tearing Brittany up inside. Kurt would have to ask her. Tonight.

“Was that-” Burt began to ask as he walked out of his office.

“Santana Lopez? Yeah, that was her,” Kurt interrupted with a heavy sigh.

“What did she want?” Burt questioned.

“With the break-in and everything I completely forgot about Brittany. She’s upset,” Kurt said guiltily.

“Hey, that’s completely understandable. You’ve had a big change in the past month. Brittany will understand. But I wouldn’t wait any longer to talk to Aly,” Burt said, clasping Kurt’s shoulder.

“I know. I’m not going to.” Kurt’s phone rang. He dug his cell out of his pocket, smiling when he saw Blaine’s picture on the screen. “It’s Blaine.”

“Take it in the office,” Burt told him as he walked off to the other side of the garage.

“Hey, you,” Kurt answered the call.

“Hey, babe. I’m getting out of here early. Do you want me to pick Aly up from daycare?” Blaine asked.

“Sure,” Kurt replied, glad they had thought to buy a second car seat to keep in Blaine’s Mercedes.

“What’s wrong?” Blaine asked, noting something was off in Kurt’s voice.

“Santana, Brittany’s girlfriend just came by. Brittany’s upset because I haven’t given her an answer yet,” Kurt told him as he collapsed into the chair behind his father’s desk.

“But you haven’t talked to Aly yet,” Blaine reminded him.

“I know. I’m going to tonight,” Kurt answered.

“Are you sure?” Blaine asked.

“No, but I have to,” Kurt replied. “It’s not fair to Brittany to keep her waiting, even if it wasn’t intentional. If Aly wants to see her mother, I’m not going to stop her. And by not asking her, I’m stopping her.”

“What if she doesn’t want to see her?” Blaine inquired.

“Then I tell Brittany. Either way, it’s going to be what Aly wants and no one else,” Kurt vowed.

“You know, you’re an amazing father.”

Kurt blushed at the compliment.

“No, really, you are,” Blaine said. “You would do anything to make Aly happy, even if it makes you unhappy. I wish my own father had been more like you.”

“Honestly, it’s not as selfless as it seems. If Aly is happy, then I’m happy. So technically by making her happy I’m making myself happy,” Kurt replied, causing Blaine to laugh.

“So humble,” Blaine said lovingly. “Well I’m going to go get Aly and we’ll see you at home.”

“Sounds good. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Kurt hung up, leaning his head back against the chair. He didn’t know what Aly’s answer would be regarding her mother, but he had to be okay with it either way. He just had to.

**KAB**

“Aly, Daddy needs to talk to you,” Kurt said, drawing his daughter’s attention away from the TV later that evening. Blaine was in the kitchen fixing dinner which left Kurt and Aly alone in the living room. “Do you remember what I told you about your mommy?”

“Yep. She wibs in ‘tucky,” Aly answered.

“That’s right, angel. She did live in Kentucky. But now she lives here again. If its okay with you, she wants to see you,” Kurt told her.

“My mommy does?” Aly asked.

“She does,” Kurt confirmed.

“Okay,” Aly replied simply.

“Okay? You want to see her,” Kurt asked.

“Yup. I never had a mommy before,” Aly answered.

“Okay. I’ll call her after supper. Come here, sweet girl,” Kurt said, pulling Aly onto his lap. She curled against her father’s chest, returning her attention to the TV.

Kurt fought back his tears. Fear overwhelmed him but he pushed it away. This was what Aly wanted. He just didn’t want to lose his daughter.


	11. Chapter 10:  Two Parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So this chapter is barely longer than the last one but the ending was perfect if I do say so myself and who am I to mess with perfection? I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: none
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Ten:  Two Parents

Monday July 14, 2014

Kurt was quiet over dinner that evening. He told Blaine Aly said yes to meeting Brittany but had hardly said a word since. Of course, he spoke when Aly addressed him specifically but otherwise he let Blaine and Aly dominate the conversation. His mind was whirling and he couldn’t make it stop.

After dinner, Kurt cleaned up without a word. Blaine and Aly were in the living room watching cartoons when Kurt came in. He walked across the room to the couch but did not sit down.

“Can you give Aly a bath tonight? I’m going to call Brittany,” Kurt asked. Blaine looked him over carefully but Kurt had a mask put firmly in place. Blaine could only tell he was upset but not how deeply those emotions ran.

“Of course,” Blaine replied. He lifted Aly off the couch and carried her towards her bathroom. “Come on, Alygator!”

Kurt followed them down the hall but went past Aly’s bathroom and into the master bedroom. He closed the door behind him before slumping onto the queen size bed. He dug his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts list. His thumb was poised over Brittany’s name but several seconds passed before Kurt finally selected it and lifted the phone to his ear.

“Dolphin!” Brittany answered the phone on the first ring. She sat up straight on the couch in the home she shared with Santana. Santana leaned her head near the phone, trying to hear the other side of the conversation.

“Hey, Brit,” Kurt said tiredly.

“Did you talk to my baby?” Brittany asked. Santana braced herself for Kurt to snap like he had at the garage that day. She didn’t care what Kurt thought about Aly’s parentage but if he hurt Brittany, Santana would flay him alive.

Kurt closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath to keep himself from snapping. Even if Aly wanted to see Brittany, she was still _Kurt’s_ daughter, not Brittany’s. Once he was confident he wouldn’t lash out he answered, “Yes, I talked to Aly. She wants to see you.”

“She does!” Brittany exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

“Yes, she does. Why don’t you and Santana come over for dinner on Saturday?” Kurt suggested. Aly could see her mother but there was no way she would be left alone with Brittany, not when Aly didn’t know her yet.

“Okay. Where do you live? Santana said you moved,” Brittany asked.

“I’ll text you my address,” Kurt said. He paused before continuing,” Look, Brit, I’m only doing this for Aly. As long as she wants to see you, I’m not going to stop her. But if she changes her mind, then that’s it.”

“I know. Thank you, Kurt,” Brittany said.

“Bye, Brittany,” Kurt said before he hung up with a sigh. He sat on the bed, staring at his phone. He didn’t know how much time passed and only looked up when Blaine pushed open the door.

“Hey,” Blaine said softly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kurt replied forcefully.

It was clear Blaine didn’t believe him but he didn’t push the matter, not yet. Instead he said, “I read Aly a bedtime story. She’s waiting for a goodnight kiss.”

Kurt pushed himself off of the bed and walked past Blaine, out of the room. He turned left into Aly’s room. Aly was lying down with the covers pulled up to her chest, Crystal the cat held tightly against her side with one arm.

“Bwaine wed me a ‘towy, Daddy!” Aly said as Kurt sat on the edge of her bed.

“That’s nice, princess. It’s time for bed now. Can Daddy have a kiss?” Kurt asked.

Aly sat up and gave Kurt a hug and a kiss. He held her longer than normal but if Aly or Blaine noticed, neither said anything. Kurt pressed one last kiss to the top of Aly’s head before forcing himself to move away from his daughter when all he wanted to do was hold her close and never let go.

“I love you, Aly Cat,” Kurt said.

“I wuv you too, Daddy,” Aly replied.

Blaine knelt down and gave Aly a quick hug. He kissed her forehead before straightening up. As he moved towards the door, Aly’s voice chimed, “I wuv you, Bwaine.”

Blaine froze. His wide eyes flew to Kurt, who was smiling. At Kurt’s encouragement, Blaine turned back around.

“I love you too, Aly.”

Aly had never told Blaine she loved him before, but looking at the way her eyes smiled when Blaine gave her another hug, Kurt knew she meant it. He left the room, trying to fight back his tears. In the hallway, he was unable to move any further. Kurt heard the door click shut behind him and knew Blaine had joined him.

“Kurt, talk to me,” Blaine said softly, turning Kurt around to face him. And that was it. Kurt was gone, tears streaming down his face as he cried. Blaine gathered him in his arms; Kurt buried his face in Blaine’s shoulder, his body shaking with each sob. Somehow, Blaine managed to get Kurt into their bedroom where Aly couldn’t hear her father’s cries. He sat next to Kurt on the bed, still holding him against his chest.

“I don’t want to lose her,” Kurt gasped through his tears after a while.

“Oh, baby. You’re not going to lose her. You could never lose her. Aly loves you more than anyone else in this world and nothing is ever going to change that,” Blaine tried to console him, running his hands up and down Kurt’s back.

“But she _wants_ to see Brittany. I don’t want her to want Brittany. I want her to want _you!”_ Kurt immediately realized what he had said and pulled away from Blaine in horror. He brought one hand up to his mouth and when he spoke next it was muffled, “Oh god, I didn’t mean to say that.”

“It’s okay, Kurt. I want the same thing,” Blaine admitted for the first time. He had never even allowed the thought to occur to himself, though he knew in his heart it was what he wanted. He didn’t want to scare Kurt away by wanting too much too soon. But here Kurt was wanting the exact same thing as him.

“You do?” Kurt asked, shocked.

“I do,” Blaine confirmed. “I love you and I love Aly so much. Today when I went to pick her up, she came running straight into my arms. She was so happy to see me. . . . Kurt, before I met you and Aly . . . I had always felt something was missing. I just didn’t know what. And now I do. I feel like I have a family again. I haven’t had a family, a _real_ family since I came out to my parents. Not since I was fourteen. But I can have that with you and Aly.

“You _do_ have that with us, Blaine. We _are_ a family. I want it all with you. I know it’s only been four months, but I want to spend forever with you. I want to marry you. I want to be your husband. I want Aly to call you Papa. I want you to be her father too,” Kurt said, crying once more.

“What about Brittany?” Blaine asked, tearing up himself.

“Screw Brittany,” Kurt said with a harsh laugh. “She may be Aly’s mother but she will _never_ be her parent. Brittany left. She gave her rights away. And, you, Blaine, you’ve had so many chances to leave just like Brittany did. But you stayed.”

“I’m going to stay. I’m never going to leave you,” Blaine promised.

“I know you won’t,” Kurt replied before crushing their mouths together.

Kurt pushed all worries about Brittany S. Pierce and Santana Lopez from his mind. His only focus was loving Blaine and having Blaine love him in turn. Kurt had always worried about Aly being raised by a single parent, but now that no longer mattered because Aly had two parents. Aly had Kurt and Blaine.


	12. Chapter 11:  Dreams Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m sorry it’s been so long. Things have been crazy between my heart condition, school, and family. The good news is I don’t have to have heart surgery again, at least as of right now. I’m going to do my best to update weekly but finals are coming up so I make no promises. I’ll update as often as I can though, weekly being the most frequent.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: none
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Eleven:  Dreams Change

Saturday July 19, 2014

Saturday evening found Kurt, Blaine and Aly settled together on the couch. Aly was snuggled against Kurt’s chest, listening intently as Blaine read _The Rainbow Fish_ aloud. Kurt looked up as the doorbell rang. Blaine turned to him with sympathetic eyes.

“Do you want-”

“I’ll get it,” Kurt interrupted. He lifted Aly off of his lap and deposited her on Blaine’s.

“Weed, Bwaine,” Kurt heard Aly request as he walked to the door leading to the garage. Kurt hesitated for a moment before he opened the door.

“Dolphin!” Brittany exclaimed the second the door swung open. She hurriedly embraced Kurt tightly.

“Hi, Brit,” Kurt said, returning the hug.

“Porcelain,” Santana greeted him, stepping into the house before Kurt could invite her in.

“Satan,” Kurt returned.

“Where’s my baby?” Brittany asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“She’s in the living room with Blaine,” Kurt answered. He led the way down the hall to the kitchen.

Brittany paused at the entrance to the living room. She looked to Kurt with wide eyes, asking, “What do I say?”

“Just get to know her. Ask what she likes to do. You’ll be fine,” Kurt assured her.

Blaine finished the book just as Kurt stepped into the room with Brittany and Santana trailing behind him. Aly looked up at the newcomers, her brow wrinkling as she wondered who these strangers were in her house. Kurt spoke up before Aly could ask.

“Come here, Aly Cat.” Kurt opened his arms to Aly. Aly hurried to her father’s side. Kurt lifted her onto his hip, turning so they were facing Brittany and Santana. “Aly, this is your mommy, Brittany.”

“Hi, Aly,” Brittany said, her eyes filling with tears.

“You’re my mommy?” Aly asked.

“Yes, I’m your mommy,” Brittany confirmed.

“Who are you?” Aly asked, turning her attention to Santana.

“I’m Santana. I’m your mommy’s girlfriend,” Santana answered.

Aly frowned, turning to Kurt. “Bwitny wikes giwls wike you wike boys?” she asked.

“She does,” Kurt said, wondering what thoughts were running through the toddler’s mind.

“Okay,” Aly said. Turning back to Brittany she asked, “Do you wan’ to see my woom?”

And so the evening began. Aly showed Brittany and Santana her favorite toys under the watchful eye of Kurt as Blaine cooked dinner. Aly accepted Brittany and Santana quickly, a bit too soon if you were to ask Kurt. But Aly was happy and that was all that mattered in the end. Brittany was ecstatic to learn that Aly loved to dance and sing, and was very talented in both areas for a three-year-old. Brittany taught Aly several simple dance moves until Blaine announced dinner was ready.

Sitting at the table, things grew awkward. No one was sure what to say and whereas earlier Aly had broken the ice, she was now happily devoting all of her attention to her macaroni and cheese. Finally, Santana spoke up.

“So, Porcelain, you’re working at your dad’s garage.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “You know I am. You were there _just_ last week,” he answered suspiciously.

“Whatever happened to New York? I thought that was your dream,” Santana asked, sipping on her water.

“Dreams change, Santana,” Kurt replied simply, his gaze resting on his daughter. Yes, New York had once been his dream but that changed the second he heard Aly’s heartbeat. From then on, his only dream was for Aly to be happy, healthy, and safe.

“So you’re telling me you’re content working as a mechanic? You’re happy getting oil on your _overpriced_ _clothes_ every day?” Santana asked skeptically.

“Daddy, I have to go pee pee,” Aly said suddenly. Kurt sighed in relief at the distraction. He didn’t want to have this conversation in front of his daughter.

“Brittany, could you take her?” Kurt asked, surprising everyone at the table. “Aly’s bathroom is down the hall to the right.”

“Sure, Kurt. Come on, Aly,” Brittany said. She took Aly by the hand and let her lead her away from the table. Once the door to Aly’s bathroom had closed behind them, Kurt tore into Santana.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove here, Santana Lopez, but stop it _this_ _instant_. I will _not_ have you acting this way in front of my daughter. And furthermore, my happiness is none of your concern,” Kurt snapped.

“So you have given up on your dream of the Big Apple,” Santana said smugly.

“My dreams don’t matter!” Kurt exclaimed. “My dream changed the instant I decided to keep that little girl!”

“I’m just saying you don’t have to give up on everything you always wanted because you’re a father. Brittany’s achieving her dreams. She’s opening a dance studio,” Santana informed him.

_"Brittany_ hasn’t spent the last three years raising a daughter! _Brittany_ didn’t have her life take a complete one-eighty! She sacrificed nine months of her life and then left her daughter so _excuse_ _me_ if I don’t see her as proof of living one’s dreams!”

Santana looked at Kurt with wide eyes. Before she could speak, Brittany had returned with Aly in tow. The rest of the dinner was strained and Kurt was glad when Brittany and Santana didn’t stick around for very long after dessert.

Meanwhile, Blaine had been thinking over Santana’s words. While he didn’t agree with everything she had said, he did agree that Kurt shouldn’t have let his dream die. But there was nothing for it now. Kurt was too stubborn to admit anything and Blaine was too smart to push the issue. He hoped the conversation would not affect Kurt’s relationship with Brittany but his fear was proved unfounded when Brittany asked if Aly could take classes with her at her dance studio. Kurt agreed, knowing Aly would enjoy the lessons and Brittany would love spending the time with Aly. No, he would not hold Brittany responsible for Santana’s actions. He had already struggled to give Brittany this one chance and he would not let Santana affect his opinion on Brittany’s presence in Aly’s life. After all, Aly didn’t need another parent. She had Kurt and Blaine and that was enough.


	13. Chapter 13:  Never Been This Happy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It’s been a year since I last updated and I’m very sorry for that. I hope to start updating this story more often but I make no promises. I hope you enjoy this [short] chapter!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: none
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

 

Chapter Thirteen: Never Been This Happy

Saturday August 9, 2014

They made the drive from Lima to Columbus in record time. When Kurt pulled into a parking spot at the hospital, he looked over to see Blaine was trembling slightly in the passenger seat. Kurt reached across the center console, taking Blaine’s hand in his.

“I’m scared,” Blaine admitted before Kurt could ask.

“I know but I’m right here with you,” Kurt said, squeezing his hand comfortingly.

“You don’t have to stay,” Blaine said. “You really didn’t have to drive me all the way here.”

“Of course I did,” Kurt said. “I love you and I’m going to be here for you whether you like it or not.”

"Kurt, you’ve never met my father,” Blaine said imploringly.

“I’m going to have to meet him sometime,” Kurt responded.

“I was just hoping to put it off a while longer, you know, until the wedding,” Blaine made an attempt at a joke.

Kurt’s breath hitched at the mention of marriage. They had discussed it briefly before but the way Blaine said it like their future marriage was a fact stole Kurt’s breath away. Kurt brought Blaine’s hand up to his lips, allowing his kiss to linger.

"I love you. Nothing your dad does could ever change that,” Kurt assured him.

“Daddy, Papa, where aw we?” Aly asked sleepily from the backseat.

Overwhelmed by the situation and his new title from Aly, tears filled Blaine’s eyes. He pulled his hand away from Kurt and attempted to wipe at them subtly but knew Kurt saw. He didn’t mention it, instead turning to face his daughter.

“We’re at a hospital, Aly Cat,” Kurt answered. “Papa’s brother is hurt and he needs to see him.”

“Papa has a bwudder?” Aly asked, clutching Crystal the cat to her chest.

"I do,” Blaine said with a sniffle.

“Can I see him?” Aly asked.

Blaine bit his lip. Cooper Anderson was in a coma. Even though Aly would be able to see him, Cooper would be unresponsive. How do you explain that to a three-year-old?

“You can but you have to be on your best behavior,” Kurt explained patiently. “He’s sleeping.”

Kurt’s words set something off in Blaine. He scrambled out of the car, not wanting Aly to see him cry. His shoulders shook as his tears consumed him and his shoulders curled forward as he fought for each breath. Kurt was out of the car in an instant, pulling Blaine into his arms. He knew Aly would not be happy to stay in the car with the two adults outside and as much as he wanted to hold Blaine until his sobs receded he contented himself with kissing his tears away before going to his daughter. Kurt unbuckled her from her car seat. Before he lifted her out he whispered to her.

“I think Papa could use a hug,” he suggested.

A serious look crossed Aly’s face. She nodded decisively and Kurt could barely muffle a giggle. He set Aly on the ground, watching fondly when she instantly wrapped her small arms around one of Blaine’s legs, squeezing tightly.

Blaine hastily wiped away his tears, bending down to pick her up. Aly’s arms wrapped around Blaine’s neck and she pressed a wet kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you, Alygator,” Blaine said. He cupped Aly’s head in one hand and pressed a kiss to her hair. Blaine grasped Kurt’s hand in his and together they headed towards the hospital and the Anderson family.

Blaine carried Aly into the hospital, his hand clasped tightly in Kurt’s. Aly laid her head on Blaine’s shoulder. Kurt squeezed Blaine’s hand as they stepped into the elevator and ascended to the third floor. They exited the elevator and followed the signs towards room 313. Once on the right hallway, Blaine stopped to steel himself.

“Aly, can you go to Daddy?” Blaine asked.

Aly lifted her head with a frown but she didn’t ask questions. She obediently held her arms out for her father. Kurt pressed a kiss to her head, murmuring “Good girl” as she settled onto his hip. Blaine drew in a deep breath before starting down the hallway. He stopped outside the closed door of room 313 and knocked.

“Come in,” Blaine heard his mother’s voice ring out through the door.

Slowly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside with Kurt and Aly following him. He had scarcely taken two steps into the room before his mother exclaimed “Blaine!” and had rushed to envelope her youngest son into her arms.

“It’s good to see you too, Mamma,” Blaine said with a fond smile. He flashed a smile at his father. “Hello, Athair.”

“Blaine,” Earnan Anderson said with a curt nod.

"Let me look at you,” Honora said, pulling away to hold him at arm’s length. Her eyes moved up and down his form. “You’re too thin. Have you been eating properly?”

“Mamma, please, I’m a chef. I eat plenty,” Blaine assured her.

“And who is this gorgeous young man?” Honora asked, her eyes shifting to Kurt over Blaine’s shoulder.

Blaine’s eyes flew to his father before they returned to his mother and he smiled nervously. “Mamma, this is my boyfriend, Kurt Hummel, and his daughter, Aly.”

“So this is the man who stole my son’s heart?” Honora said with a smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Kurt. I’ve heard so much about you, and Aly, of course.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Anderson,” Kurt said, stepping forward with an outstretched hand.

“Please, call me Honora,” she corrected him.

“How is Cooper?” Blaine asked, changing the subject as he noticed his father’s disapproving scowl.

“He had internal bleeding but the doctors have it under control. He has a broken leg and several broken ribs but he’ll be okay. We’re just waiting for him to wake up now,” Honora answered, taking her youngest son by the hand and leading him to the hospital bed where Cooper Anderson lay.

Kurt noticed Earnan eyeing him disapprovingly. He moved Aly to his other hip and subtly shifted his body so she was further away from the man. Kurt didn’t want him anywhere near his daughter with the way he was looking at him. Thankfully, Aly was completely ignoring the man. Her attention was on Blaine as he slipped his hand into his brother’s. A tear slid down Blaine’s cheek, which did not go unnoticed by Kurt nor Aly.

“Papa, why are you cwying?” Aly asked.

The sight of his brother laying lifeless in a hospital bed had Blaine almost forget that Kurt and Aly were in the room. He jumped when he heard Aly’s small voice. Blaine straightened instantly, wiping away his tears as he reached out both hands to take Aly from Kurt.

“Papa’s just a little sad, Aly,” Blaine answered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Did that brat just call you ‘Papa?’” Earnan asked in disbelief.

“Don’t call her that,” Blaine said in the same instance as Kurt exclaimed, “You will _not_ talk to my daughter that way!”

“She is not an Anderson; she is _not_ your daughter,” Earnan continued, ignoring the outcries of both men.

“She might as well be!” Kurt cried out, shocking all three Andersons into silence. “Blaine, I’m going to take Aly and buy some clothes to get us through until tomorrow. Come here, Aly.”

Kurt held his hands out to his daughter but Aly made no move to go to her father.

“I want to stay with Papa,” Aly protested.

Kurt looked from Aly to Blaine. He didn’t want Aly to be around Earnan Anderson more than was necessary with the way he had just spoken but he didn’t want to take Aly away from Blaine if she wanted to stay with him.

“We’ll be fine, Kurt,” Blaine finally spoke.

“Are you sure?” Kurt asked, looking pointedly at Blaine’s father.

“I’m positive,” Blaine assured him with an easy smile.

Kurt nodded, holding in a sigh. He had wanted to get Aly out of the hospital and away from Blaine’s father but it didn’t seem that was going to happen.

“I love you, Aly,” Kurt said.

“How much?” Aly asked with a giggle.

“This much,” Kurt answered, unable to hide his smile as he held his arms out as far as they’d go.

“I love _you_ this much!” Aly exclaimed, holding out her little arms.

"That’s an awful lot, Aly Cat,” Kurt said. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Purposefully ignoring the elder Andersons, Kurt kissed Blaine chastely. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Blaine replied instantly.

“Aly, be good for Papa,” Kurt instructed as he backed out of the hospital room.

“I will,” Aly promised.

With Kurt gone, Earnan Anderson decided to act like Blaine and Aly were not present and settled into a chair in the corner of the room with _The Wall Street Journal._ Blaine got Aly settled in a chair with some toys to occupy her before joining his mother by Cooper’s bedside.

“I’ve never seen you so happy,” Honora said, wrapping an arm around her youngest son’s shoulders.

“Honestly, Mamma, I’ve never been this happy in my entire life,” Blaine said with a smile and a turn of his head to look at Aly. “Kurt and Aly . . . they caught me completely off guard.”

“You love them,” Honora said.

“I do,” Blaine agreed. “God, I . . . I didn’t know you _could_ love someone so much until I met the two of them. And not just Kurt, but Aly as well. They completely stole my heart. It’s like I didn’t know there was a part of me missing until they came into my life.”

“That’s how your father and I felt when you and your brother were born,” Honora said with a fond smile towards her eldest child.

“Funny how that’s changed,” Blaine said with a glare to his father.

“He’ll come around, Blaine,” Honora said softly.

“You’ve only been saying that since I came out when I was fourteen,” Blaine said with a scoff.

“He loves you. This is just hard for him,” Honora said.

“Seeing me happy is hard for him?” Blaine asked incredulously.

“You know what I mean,” Honora scolded.

“What aw you weeding?” Aly’s small voice was piqued with curiosity.

Blaine whirled around. Aly was standing beside Blaine’s father, watching him intently.

“Aly-” Blaine began as he strode to her side but before he could finish Earnan had folded his newspaper and was looking back at Aly.

“I’m reading the newspaper,” he answered. With a quick glance up at his youngest son, Earnan looked back at Aly. “Do you like to read, little girl?”

“I love to weed!” Aly answered estatically. “Well, I only know a few wowds but Papa and Daddy aw teaching me. Will you weed to me?”

Taken aback, Earnan looked up at Blaine again. Blaine’s expression was just as surprised. He waited with bated breath to see how his father would react.

“The newspaper,” Earnan finally said, “is not for little girls. Maybe your, um, _Papa_ has a suitable book? Blaine?”

“What?” Blaine asked, jolted back to reality. “Oh right, yeah-yes.”

Blaine went to Aly’s bag and produced a copy of _Corduroy_. He placed the book in his father’s hand and watched as he lifted Aly onto his lap and opened the book. To Blaine’s continued amazement he began to read. Still stunned, Blaine walked back to his mother’s side.

“What just happened?” he asked.

“I told you. He came around,” Honora said, pulling Blaine into her arms.


	14. Chapter 14:  The Blessing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If anyone has anything they’d like to see happen, please let me know! I’m open to suggestions!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: none
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Fourteen: The Blessing

Sunday August 10, 2014

The red light of the alarm clock red 12:23 when Kurt woke. He looked to the neighboring bed and smiled softly to see the small shape of Aly curled up in a bed that was most definitely too big for her. Kurt turned around under the heavy weight of Blaine’s arm around his waist. He was surprised to see his boyfriend staring back at him.

“What are you doing awake?” Kurt asked quietly.

“I never fell asleep,” Blaine answered.

“Are you worried about your brother?” Kurt inquired.

“Yeah, but that’s not why I can’t sleep,” Blaine told him. “I can’t stop thinking about my dad and Aly. I’ve never seen him that way before.”

“Kids have the ability to change people,” Kurt said, draping an arm over Blaine’s waist and tugging him closer.

“After so many years I didn’t think it was possible,” Blaine admitted. “But then again, I’ve never met a little girl like Aly.”

“She’s something else,” Kurt said, looking back over his shoulder at his daughter.

“She definitely is,” Blaine agreed.

Kurt rolled onto his back and pulled Blaine down so his head was resting on his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of Blaine’s head.

“Get some sleep, love.”

**KAB**

Blaine’s phone woke him the next morning. He reached across the bed to grab it from the nightstand, smiling when he saw Kurt and Aly were already awake. Kurt was leaning against the headboard of Aly’s bed with the little girl snuggled against his chest; they were watching cartoons.

Kurt looked up when Blaine’s phone rang. He smiled when he saw Blaine was awake and turned his attention back to the television. Blaine fumbled with his phone before he got a good grip on it and brought it up to his ear.

Kurt listened to Blaine’s half of the conversation. When he hung up, Kurt asked, “Who was that?”

“My mom,” Blaine answered. “Cooper is awake.”

**KAB**

Blaine, Kurt, and Aly arrived at the hospital within the hour. Blaine entered the room first and his face lit up to see his brother sitting up in bed. A breakfast of oatmeal and orange juice was on the tray in front of Cooper. He held a spoon in one hand and was making slow work on the oatmeal. Hearing footsteps he looked up.

“Little brother!” Cooper cried happily, pushing the tray away with immediate disinterest.

Blaine threw himself into Cooper’s arms. Cooper grunted at the impact of their bodies but still wrapped his arms around his younger brother. Blaine pulled back after a long moment. Kurt stepped further into the room with Aly propped up on one hip, her arms around her father’s neck.

“And who is this?” Cooper asked, his attention turning to Kurt and Aly.

“Kurt Hummel,” Kurt said, offering his hand for Cooper to shake.

“My boyfriend,” Blaine supplied. “And his daughter, Aly.”

“Hello, Aly,” Cooper greeted, giving a little wave to the small girl.

“You’re Papa’s brother,” Aly said matter-of-factly.

“Papa?” Cooper asked in amusement, turning his head to look at his brother.

“Kurt, why don’t you get some breakfast from the cafeteria? My parents are down there; you can tell them we’re here,” Blaine suggested, ignoring Cooper.

“Okay, should I bring you something back?” Kurt asked, shifting Aly’s weight to his other hip.

“Please,” Blaine answered. Kurt pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before leaving the two brothers alone.

“You didn’t tell me you had a baby,” Cooper teased, pulling his breakfast tray back in front of him.

“I love Aly like my own,” Blaine said, perching himself on the foot of Cooper’s hospital bed.

“You’ve always wanted to be a father,” Cooper said, pausing to sip on his orange juice. “I just never thought it would be when you’re this young.”

“I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions,” Blaine said sternly.

“I wasn’t going to say you can’t,” Cooper countered. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”

“I’ve never been this happy,” Blaine confirmed. He watched Cooper eat for several minutes before saying, “I’m going to ask Kurt to marry me.”

Cooper’s spoon clattered into the bowl of oatmeal. He pushed the tray away again to give Blaine his undivided attention.

“When?” he asked.

“Soon,” Blaine answered. “I want us to be a family, a real family.”

“Are you prepared for everything that comes with having a young child, especially a child who is not yours biologically?”

“What exactly are you getting at?” Blaine asked with a raised eyebrow.

“How does Aly’s mother feel about her calling you ‘Papa?’?” Cooper questioned.

“Aly’s mother signed away her parental rights when she was born. She has decided she wants back in Aly’s life but legally she has no more rights to her than I do. But I want to change that,” Blaine explained.

“You’re going to adopt her,” Cooper stated. It wasn’t a question.

“I would like to,” Blaine reiterated.

“How are you going to propose?” Cooper asked.

“I have no idea,” Blaine said dismally.

“Well,” Cooper said, leaning back against his pillow, “we better start brainstorming.”

**KAB**

Tuesday August 12, 2014

Blaine returned home to Lima with Kurt and Aly on Monday. Life returned to normal, for which Blaine was thankful. After talking with Cooper, Blaine had put his plans into motion. While Kurt was dropping Aly off at daycare that morning, Blaine stopped by Hummel’s Tires and Lube. The garage was just opening for the day and Burt was the only one there.

He was going over inventory when Blaine stepped into the garage. He immediately put his clipboard aside and gave Blaine a long look.

“You want something,” he said.

“I guess we’ll just get right to it then,” Blaine said jokingly. Burt didn’t laugh. Blaine cleared his throat then announced, “I would like to ask for your son’s hand in marriage.”

“You’re kidding me,” Burt said with a shake of his hand. He turned his back on Blaine and walked into his office. Blaine paused for a moment before following Burt. He wasn’t going to give up this easily. He knew how much Burt meant to Kurt and he knew Kurt would want his dad’s approval. He flashed back to Kurt’s story of having to tell his father Brittany was pregnant.

_ Tuesday August 3, 2010 _

_Kurt was still in a state of shock when he walked into his house that afternoon. It was almost past his curfew and he knew his father was probably worried. He wasn’t surprised when Burt greeted him at the door._

_“Where the hell have you been, Kurt? I’ve been calling you for over two hours,” Burt demanded the instant his son crossed the threshold into the house._

_Kurt hung his keys on the hook and tried to think of everywhere he had gone after his talk with Brittany. His first instinct had been to go to Mercedes’s but when he rang the doorbell no one answered. He drove past Rachel’s but Finn was there so he drove around for an hour before stopping at the cemetery where his mother was buried. Before, he had held Brittany while she cried. Now it was Kurt’s turn. With one hand over his mother’s name on her headstone, Kurt allowed himself to succumb to his emotions. That had been around seven o’clock. Kurt had sat there for at least two hours before he started home._

_“Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, I asked you a question. Where have you been?” Burt repeated as Kurt pushed past him into the living room. He sank heavily onto the couch and let his head fall into his hands. Concerned, Burt sat beside him and placed a comforting hand on his knee. “Kiddo, what’s going on?”_

_Kurt began to cry and Burt pulled him into his arms. Kurt wept on his father’s shoulder. He knew the minutes were ticking by until he had to tell his father the truth. Sure enough, the second Kurt stopped crying, Burt asked again._

_“Kid, I don’t know what has got you so upset but if you don’t tell me I can’t help you,” Burt said._

_Kurt nodded, pulling a tissue out of the box on the coffee table to blow his nose. He balled up the tissue and looked his father in the eye as he said, “Brittany is pregnant.”_

_“Oh? Well, what does that have to do with – oh.”_

_“Yeah, that Brittany,” Kurt confirmed what his father was thinking. The same Brittany that Kurt had been kissing on the couch in the basement when Burt walked in._

_“The baby is yours?” Burt asked._

_“Yes,” Kurt affirmed._

_“What are you going to do?”_

_“I don’t know, Dad, I don’t know,” Kurt said as he dissolved into tears again. Burt sighed heavily but still pulled his son into his arms._

_“Whatever you decide,” Burt said after some time had passed, “I will support you. You’re my son and I love you.”_

_“I love you too, Dad,” Kurt mumbled against his father’s chest._

“I can assure you, sir, I am completely serious. I want to marry your son,” Blaine said upon entering Burt’s office. Burt leaned back in his chair and gave Blaine a good long look.

“Why are you even asking me? Kurt has made it very clear that when it comes to you he can make his own decisions,” Burt asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because other than Aly, you are the most important person in Kurt’s life. He loves you more than you know. And without your acceptance I don’t know that Kurt would say yes,” Blaine explained as he sat in a chair opposite Burt with his desk in between them.

“What makes you think I’d give you my blessing? You’ve only been together for four months,” Burt reminded him.

“I know we haven’t always met eye to eye, Mr. Hummel, but I love your son. I want what is best for him, and for Aly.”

“And you think you’re what’s best for them?” Burt asked in disbelief.

“I know I make Kurt happy. And that is what matters to me, Kurt’s happiness.”

Burt sighed unhappily. He thought for several moments before he finally spoke.

“I wasn’t happy when Kurt became a father at seventeen. I saw his entire future disappear before my eyes. But I wouldn’t change that for anything. Aly is the best gift our family has ever received.” Burt got to his feet and stepped around the desk. “This isn’t the life I wanted for my son. He had big dreams, dreams that he gave up to raise that little girl on his own. So before I say yes, I want you to promise me one thing.”

“Anything,” Blaine said, pushing himself to his feet.

“Get Kurt out of Ohio. Take him to New York, where he belongs. If you promise me you’ll do that, then you have my blessing,” Burt said.

“Sir, will all due respect, Kurt makes his own decisions. You already said that. I can’t make him move.”

“No, but he listens to you. If you give him a reason, a _good_ reason why you should move to New York, he’ll listen to you. I want my son to be happy, Blaine. And you’re right, you make him happy. But being in Ohio makes him miserable.”

“I can’t promise that I can get him to go with it, but I’ll ask him. I’ve been thinking of expanding my restaurant anyway.”

“Okay, then, Anderson,” Burt said with a nod. He extended his hand. “You have my permission to marry my son.”

**KAB**

Sunday August 24, 2014

Almost two weeks had passed since Blaine talked to Burt. Blaine had painstakingly planned his proposal and wanted everything to be perfect. He gave his staff the night off and closed the restaurant. Kurt had instructions to come by for supper with Aly. Blaine made spaghetti for Aly and a chicken and broccoli bake for Kurt and himself.

Blaine dimmed the lights when he saw Kurt’s car pull into the parking lot. He located his guitar and hid around the corner, out of sight. After all these weeks of planning, it was finally time.


	15. Chapter 15:  The Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For those who have been asking about my other fics, none of them have been abandoned. Even the one on hiatus; I still intend to finish it. Right now I’m finding it easier to focus on this story than any other so you might see more updates here than on the others. But I promise all of them will be finished.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: sexual situations
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Glee. "Lego House" belongs to Ed Sheeran.

Chapter Fifteen: The Proposal

Sunday August 24, 2014

Kurt pulled up outside of Caravelli’s. He stared at the restaurant as he shifted the car into park. The lights were dim and the only other car in the parking lot was Blaine’s. Kurt checked his phone to make sure he had understood Blaine’s text message correctly.

_Bring Aly for supper at the restaurant tonight? xoxo_

“What’s wrong, Daddy?” Aly asked from the backseat.

“Nothing, sweetheart. Let’s go see if Papa is inside,” Kurt said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and turned the car off. He slipped his phone into his back pocket and went around to the other side of the car to get Aly from her car seat.

Aly grabbed onto Kurt’s hand as they crossed the lot to the front doors of the restaurant. No one appeared to be inside. Kurt pushed Aly a little further behind him and entered the restaurant first, just in case something was wrong inside.

What he found was not what he was expecting. There were candles everywhere, and rose petals of red and yellow had been scattered across the floor to a small table set for three. The place appeared to be vacant with no employees or customers, but also no Blaine. Kurt let the door close behind him and Aly. When the bell chimed, guitar music began to drift out from behind the wall separating the back of the restaurant from the front. Blaine walked out from behind the corner, strumming his guitar, and began to sing.

_I'm gonna pick up the pieces and build a Lego house._

_If things go wrong we can knock it down._

_My three words have two meanings but there's one thing on my mind._

_It's all for you._

Kurt looked at him in surprise; Aly watched the two with confusion. She tugged her father’s hand, wanting to know what was happening but Kurt only glanced at her and raised a finger to his lips. He didn’t know what was happening any more than she did.

_And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got you to keep me warm._

_If you're broken I will mend ya and I’ll keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on, now._

Blaine motioned with his head towards the table that had been set. Kurt understood and guided Aly over to the table. He picked her up and set her in the booster seat. Then he took the seat beside her and continued to watch Blaine.

_I'm out of touch; I'm out of love._

_I'll pick you up when you're getting down._

_And out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now._

_I'm out of sight; I'm out of mind._

_I'll do it all for you in time._

_And out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now, now._

Blaine circled around the table as he continued to play. He knew Kurt and Aly were both confused but he knew soon Kurt at least would figure it out. The box with the ring in it was burning a hole in his pocket but soon he would remove it.

_I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in._

_If things go right we can frame it and put you on a wall._

_And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before._

_Now I'll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours._

Blaine was getting more nervous the closer he came to the end of the song. He thought Kurt would say yes, but he wasn’t certain. And he didn’t know what Aly would think. But he did know Aly’s opinion would matter to Kurt.

_I'm out of touch; I'm out of love._

_I'll pick you up when you're getting down._

_And out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now._

_I'm out of sight; I'm out of mind._

_I'll do it all for you in time._

_And out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now._

_Don't hold me down; I think the braces are breaking and it's more than I can take._

_And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got you to keep me warm._

_If you're broken I will mend ya and I’ll keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on, now._

Blaine lifted the guitar strap from over his head and laid it aside carefully. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket but kept it hidden in his closed hand as he knelt before Kurt. Blaine took Kurt’s left hand in his and continued to sing.

_I'm out of touch; I'm out of love._

_I'll pick you up when you're getting down._

_And out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now._

_I'm out of sight; I'm out of mind._

_I'll do it all for you in time._

_And out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better now._

_I'm out of touch; I'm out of love._

_I'll pick you up when you're getting down._

_And out of all these things I've done, I will love you better now._

“Kurt,” Blaine began in a shaky voice. “I know we haven’t been together for very long. But that doesn’t matter to me. I love you, and I love Aly. I never knew I could love someone so much until I met the two of you. And it doesn’t matter that we haven’t known each other for years, or that Aly isn’t my biological daughter. I would not love her any less if she was mine by blood. These past few months have been the best of my life. And I want to spend the rest of my life living like this, with you and Aly. So, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, would you do me the honor of making us an official family? Will you marry me?”

Kurt looked away from Blaine for the first time since he had dropped to his knees, and turned to his daughter.

“What do you think, Aly? Should Papa and I get married?”

“Yes!” Aly exclaimed immediately.

Blaine couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him. He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Aly’s forehead. Turning back to Kurt, his breath caught in his throat. He had never seen someone look at him with so much love before.

“You heard our daughter, Mr. Anderson,” Kurt said with a grin. “Yes, of course, yes!”

Blaine jumped to his feet, pulling Kurt with him. He kissed him deeply. Aly exclaimed in disgust causing the two to break apart in laughter. Blaine slipped the simple silver band on Kurt’s left right finger. They kissed once more before Blaine swept Aly up into his arms and the three of them embraced.

Blaine opened a bottle of champagne for him and Kurt and gave Aly some sparkling cider. They ate dinner slowly, taking the time to bask in their happiness. After they had finished eating, Blaine told Kurt to head home while he cleaned up so Aly could get to bed on time. They parted with a sweet kiss which promised more. Blaine sped through the cleaning process, wanting to get home to his fiancé. _Fiancé_ , he still couldn’t believe it. Satisfied that the restaurant was tidy enough and anything left could be handled the next morning by his staff, Blaine locked up and left.

The house was dark when Blaine pulled into the garage beside Kurt’s Navigator. He let himself in, careful to be quiet so he wouldn’t wake Aly. He sincerely hoped the little girl had drifted off to sleep quickly that night. Blaine crept through the house until he reached the master bedroom. He listened for a second at Aly’s door to make sure she was indeed asleep and not playing in her room. When he didn’t hear anything, he continued into the master.

Kurt was waiting for him, stretched out on the bed and naked. Blaine’s eyes widened as he closed the door behind him and locked it. Kurt extended a hand towards him and Blaine immediately fell onto the bed beside him.

“I love you so much,” Kurt said reverently as he undressed Blaine slowly. “You’re so incredible.”

“I love you too,” Blaine answered as Kurt rolled him over onto his back, “so, so much.”

Kurt lowered his mouth to Blaine’s, kissing him passionately as his hands trailed over his lover’s body until they finally came to rest where Blaine wanted them the most. Kurt prepared him slowly and carefully, taking more time than he needed to. When Blaine was a writhing mess underneath him, Kurt entered him in one swift thrust. They made love slowly, relishing the moment and their newfound happiness. Kurt’s mouth found the tender spot at the junction of Blaine’s neck and shoulder and bit down gently. Blaine cried out as he found release with Kurt quickly following, emptying himself into his lover’s willing body.

Blaine didn’t give Kurt a second to move before he was pulling Kurt down on top of him. Kurt sighed happily, resting his pliant body against Blaine’s. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, unwilling to let him move.

“I love you,” Blaine repeated as he drifted off to sleep.

“I love you too,” Kurt answered as he followed into slumber.


	16. Chapter Sixteen:  Saying Hello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have officially graduated college. I’m not sure how this will affect my writing yet as I had the most time to write during class. I start a new job soon but hopefully I will fall into a routine and still be able to write.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: sexual situations
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Chapter Sixteen:  Saying Hello

_Wednesday September 24, 2014_

One month after Blaine proposed, letters began to arrive for Kurt from colleges in New York City. Confused, Kurt walked back to his car from the mailbox, looking at the envelopes in his hands as he sat behind the wheel.

“What’s that, Daddy?” Aly asked from the backseat.

Kurt was startled out of his thoughts. He tossed the envelopes onto the passenger seat and shifting the car into drive, continued up the driveway.

“I’m not sure, Aly,” Kurt answered as he guided the Navigator into the garage. He turned the car off and stowed the envelopes in his messenger bag. He got Aly out of her car seat and fumbled with his keys as he carried her to the door. Kurt took Aly into the laundry room, took her shoes off and gave her the book bag she took to daycare.

“Take your bag to your room please, sweetheart,” Kurt instructed as he took off his own shoes. He waited until Aly had disappeared down the hall before he sat at the kitchen table with the envelopes before him.

Kurt checked to see if the mail carrier had made a mistake but each envelope was addressed to Kurt Hummel. The top envelope had a return address to Pace University. Kurt slipped his thumb under the flap and opened the letter.

Inside was an information packet on the college, including degrees offered, qualifications to be met, and admissions deadlines. The last paper gave a date for an audition that had been scheduled in his name. Frantically, Kurt opened the other envelopes to see the same information for different colleges, all with set audition dates. Kurt pulled his phone out to call Blaine but before he had unlocked the phone, the man himself was walking through the door.

“Hey, baby,” Blaine greeted as he hung his bag up in the laundry room. “How was -”

“What are these?” Kurt cut him off, waving the envelopes in the air.

“Oh, good,” Blaine said as he joined Kurt at the table. “I was hoping they would come soon.”

Blaine reached for the envelopes but Kurt snatched them away.

“You did this?” Kurt asked in disbelief, flipping through the letters.

“I know you’re angry,” Blaine began.

“Oh, I’m beyond angry,” Kurt cut in, throwing the envelopes down onto the table.

“Kurt, just give me a chance to -”

“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Aly interrupted.

Kurt collected the letters from the table and slipped them into his back pocket. He hadn’t heard Aly approaching and he wasn’t about to continue this conversation in front of her.

“I’ll start supper,” Kurt said with finality. He pushed his chair in at the table and turned his back to Blaine. “You can give Aly a bath.”

Kurt left no room for argument. Having heard her father, Aly ran down the hall to her bathroom. With a sigh, Blaine watched Kurt walk to the pantry. Knowing there was no point in trying to talk to him now, Blaine followed Aly down the hall.

After dinner was over, Blaine silently cleaned the dishes. Kurt turned the TV to Ni Hao, Kai-Lan. Aly happily settled before the television. Kurt pulled his phone from his pocket and went on the back porch to call Rachel.

“Kurt!” Rachel answered. “If you’re calling to ask me to be your maid of honor you know the answer is yes.”

“I wish that was why I was calling,” Kurt said as he collapsed onto the porch swing.

“What’s going on?” Rachel asked. Kurt heard a door close on her end of the line and knew she had locked herself in her bedroom so Finn wouldn’t interrupt them.

“Blaine made appointments for me at three colleges in New York.” Kurt pushed off slightly, the chains holding the swing up creaking slightly.

“You’re coming to visit?” Rachel asked, her voice laced with excitement. Kurt could tell she was on the verge of planning an elaborate New York vacation for him and Blaine.

“Rachel, focus,” Kurt redirected unhappily, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

“Right, sorry. So Blaine wants you to go to college. What’s so bad about that? He isn’t giving you an ultimatum, is he?”

“Of course not,” Kurt said sharply. “Blaine wouldn’t do that. Although I don’t know why he did this either.”

“Because he knew you wouldn’t,” Rachel said simply.

“But why does my attending college matter at all?” Kurt asked.

“Kurt, all you ever wanted was to move to New York and go to college. You haven’t done either of those things,” Rachel reminded him gently.

“No, but I have raised a three-year-old daughter as a single father,” Kurt countered.

“I think that’s Blaine’s point, Kurt. You’ve never done anything solely for yourself, not since Aly was born. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing,” Rachel continued before Kurt could interrupt. “You had no choice. But you’re not a single father anymore. You have Blaine to help you. _Let_ him help you.”

The door opened and Blaine awkwardly hovered in the doorway, unsure if he was welcome.

“Thanks, Rachel,” Kurt said, turning to face his fiancé.

“You’re quite welcome. Go talk to your man. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Kurt said as he hung up. Blaine bit his lip as Kurt approached him. He took Blaine’s hands in his.

“Aly is in bed; she wants you to read her a story. I already kissed her goodnight. I’m going to shower,” Blaine said. He tugged his hands from Kurt’s grasp and disappeared back into the home. Kurt waited a half second before he followed.

The door to the master bedroom was closed when Kurt got to it. He pressed his ear against the door and could hear the shower running. Kurt pulled himself away and opened the door to Aly’s room. He read her a story and tucked her into bed when she fell asleep halfway through.

Kurt pressed a kiss to her forehead before slipping out of the room. He pulled the door shut behind him, hesitating for a moment before he moved away. Blaine was in the process of dressing when Kurt entered their bedroom.

“I know why you did it,” Kurt said, perching on the edge of the bed.

Blaine slipped a wife beater over his head before joining Kurt. Kurt grasped his hands and pulled him closer.

“But I can’t go to these auditions,” Kurt told him.

“Why not? Everything’s all planned out. All you have to do is rehearse a song.”

“And find someone to watch Aly, leaving my daughter for three days,” Kurt interrupted. The three auditions were taking place in just as many days, meaning Aly would either have to be pulled from preschool or stay behind.

“That’s taken care of,” Blaine told him. “Your dad already agreed and that weekend Brittany wants to spend time with Aly.”

“Blaine, I know you just want me to be happy, but this isn’t realistic.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t drop everything and move to New York,” Kurt said.

“You wouldn’t be,” Blaine protested.

“My family is here,” Kurt argued.

“Rachel and Finn live in New York,” Blaine countered.

“My job is here. _Your restaurant_ is here.”

“For now.”

“What do you mean ‘for now?’ Are you thinking of selling it?” Kurt asked, sitting back a bit.

“No, I’m thinking of opening another one in the city,” Blaine announced.

“What? Why?” Kurt asked in confusion.

“Because neither of us were meant to live in this place forever,” Blaine said, jumping to his feet. “You weren’t meant to spend your life in a garage. You belong in New York. We both do.”

“It’s still not that simple,” Kurt said. “New York is expensive. And those schools are private. I can’t afford them.”

“But we can,” Blaine replied, sitting back beside Kurt. “There are scholarships, and I have my grandmother’s money.”

“That money won’t last forever,” Kurt reminded him.

“No, but the restaurant is doing well. My family can help.”

“I doubt your father would agree to that,” Kurt said skeptically.

“He already has. He wants to make amends. He wants to help us find a safe place in the city, no matter the cost.”

“None of this matters if I don’t get in.”

“You will.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You will,” Blaine repeated with unwavering confidence.

“This isn’t realistic,” Kurt said again. He shifted slightly, putting himself closer to Blaine.

Blaine smiled to himself. He almost had him convinced.

“We can do this, Kurt. Just say you’ll go to the auditions,” Blaine pleaded.

“Would you take no for an answer?” Kurt asked mischievously after a second.

“If you really meant it. Come with me to New York,” Blaine pleaded.

“Okay,” Kurt said finally.

“Okay?” Blaine needed reassurance.

“Just for the auditions.”

“That’s all I ask.”

Blaine tightened his grip on Kurt’s hands before pulling him the remaining distance between them. He fell back on the bed, smiling when Kurt automatically moved to straddle his thighs. Blaine propped himself up on his elbows and captured Kurt’s lips in a kiss. Kurt kissed him back while slowly lowering him back to the bed. He broke the kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head, quickly falling back into Blaine.

He rolled them over so Kurt was underneath him. Kurt’s hands drifted over his torso before reaching the hem of his tank top and pulling upward. Blaine threw the clean shirt on the floor, ignoring Kurt’s sputters of protest. He captured his mouth in a searing kiss and Kurt quickly forgot about the shirt. The rest of their clothes quickly followed, raining onto the floor.

They broke apart long enough to settle onto the bed properly so they could stretch out. Blaine prepared Kurt thoroughly, having to remind him several times to quiet down as Aly was asleep in the next room. Then he was slipping into his lover’s pliant body. Blaine wanted to take his time and make love to Kurt slowly but Kurt had other ideas. He lifted his hips until Blaine began to thrust into him faster. They came together with Blaine muffling the sounds of Kurt’s moans with his mouth. Afterward, Blaine lay with his head on Kurt’s chest. Kurt was just drifting off to sleep when Blaine spoke.

“Do you want another baby?”

Kurt turned his head so quickly he felt the vertebrae in his neck crack. Blaine rolled over onto his back, keeping his eyes trained on Kurt. After a few moments of silence, Kurt finally gathered his thoughts.

“I never really thought I would have the opportunity to have another child.”

“But what about now?”

“Before Aly was born, I never thought I would have the chance to have a child of my own. When Brittany got pregnant, I knew I couldn’t let someone else raise my daughter. And while I would never regret choosing to parent over adoption, I sometimes wonder how I did it. I was so young and still in school. It was hard, Blaine, unbelievably hard.”

“But you’re not alone now,” Blaine reminded him. “You have me and the rest of our families. I promise you I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to be married, Kurt. That’s not a promise I take lightly.”

“I know,” Kurt answered. “But we’re still young.”

“If you were able to raise Aly on your own as an eighteen-year-old kid, you will be more than able to raise a baby with me as a twenty-one-year-old.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Kurt said slowly.

“Then what is it?” Suddenly a horrible realization came over Blaine and his eyes widened. “You don’t want to have a baby with me.”

“No, Blaine, it’s not that. It’s definitely not that,” Kurt said quickly. He pulled Blaine close so they were laying nose to nose and pressed kisses over his cheekbones. “I have always worried about Aly having a gay father. Life isn’t easy for any kid who is different and I always knew that raising Aly would mean exposing her to some degree of bigotry. And before I met you it was easy enough to pretend that I wasn’t anything more than a single father raising a daughter. But now I’m a gay father raising a daughter with his soon-to-be husband. It won’t be so easy for Aly to blend in anymore.”

“Were you planning on staying single forever before we met?” Blaine asked.

“I didn’t think I would ever find someone who would love me for me,” Kurt said simply.

“Oh, Kurt,” Blaine said unhappily. He pulled Kurt closer still and breathed in the comforting scent of his skin. “I am so thankful every day that you are in my life. And I’m so thankful that you didn’t find someone else because then I wouldn’t be lying here with you. I wouldn’t have this amazing little girl to call my daughter. And anyone who thinks you are anything less than amazing is blind.”

Kurt’s face softened.

“I love you so much,” he whispered against Blaine’s lips. “And when the time is right, I would love to have a child with you.”

“Really?” Blaine asked, his face brightening. “You’re not just saying that?”

“I really mean it,” Kurt promised. “I know it won’t be easy for any child we bring into this world but I know I can handle it with you by my side.”

“That’s where you’ll always find me,” Blaine vowed. “I’m never saying goodbye to you.”

“What about hello?” Kurt asked, brushing his lips against Blaine’s.

“I’ll be saying that every day for the rest of my life,” Blaine said before rolling Kurt onto his back and blanketing his body with his own.


End file.
